Simultaneous production of CO and H2O2 by paired electrolysis coupling CO2 reduction and water oxidation

Abstract

Here, a novel paired electrolysis system is constructed, where fluorine-doped tin oxide glass serves as the anode for the water oxidation reaction to produce hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc)/carbon nanotube (CNT) loaded carbon paper as the cathode for CO₂ reduction to generate CO. This system demonstrates a high overall energy efficiency of 34%, where a faradaic efficiency exceeding 90% for CO₂ reduction and 60% for water oxidation to H₂O₂ have been achieved, demonstrating significant energy savings of nearly 40% compared to the respective half-reaction systems.