Boosting Ethylene Yield via Synergistic 2D/0D Nanostructured VCu Layered Double Hydroxide/TiO2 Catalyst in Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Abstract

The electrochemical conversion of CO2 into C1 to C2 hydrocarbon such as Methane and ethylene is a promising pathway towards to achieve net zero however due to high activation barrier for CO2 it remains a big challenge. In this work, an effective strategy has been developed through the synthesis of a low-cost Vanadium and Copper based layered double hydroxide (LDH) decorated with TiO2 nanoparticles (VCu LDH/TiO2) as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for the electrochemical CO2 reduction to ethylene. The structural and morphological study of the developed electrocatalyst was analyzed with the help of various analytical instruments such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) which confirmed the successful formation of VCu LDH/TiO2. The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) study was performed in 0.1 M KHCO3 using H-type cell and showed the formation of CO, CH4, and C2H4 value added end products. The highest faradaic efficiency of 92% for C2H4 was obtained at -0.4 V vs RHE. The above results suggest that the VCu LDH/TiO2 NPs electrocatalyst may be an excellent candidate for the CO2 reduction and can be also utilized in wide range of energy conversion and storage applications.