Cu-Sn Electrocatalyst Prepared with Chemical Foaming and Electroreduction for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Zhu, Caibo; Yu, Ao; Zhang, Yin; Chen, Wenbo; Wu, Zhijian; Xu, Manni; Qu, Deyu; Duan, Junxin; Li, Xi

doi:10.3390/catal15050484

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Cu-Sn Electrocatalyst Prepared with Chemical Foaming and Electroreduction for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction

by

Caibo Zhu

^†,

Ao Yu

^†

,

Yin Zhang

,

Wenbo Chen

,

Zhijian Wu

,

Manni Xu

,

Deyu Qu

,

Junxin Duan

^* and

Xi Li

^*

School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Science, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Catalysts 2025, 15(5), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15050484

Submission received: 20 April 2025 / Revised: 12 May 2025 / Accepted: 15 May 2025 / Published: 16 May 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Electrocatalysis)

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Abstract

The conversion of CO₂ through the electrochemical reduction reaction (ECO₂RR) into chemicals or fuels is regarded as one of the effective ways to decrease atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. In this study, a Cu-Sn bimetallic electrocatalyst (ER-Sn_mCu_nO_x-t/CC) was successfully prepared via a chemical foaming method and electrochemical reduction. SEM showed that ER-Sn₁Cu₁O_x-500 nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on the carbon cloth, which benefited from foaming. The XPS results demonstrated the synergistic interaction between Cu and Sn and the existence of oxygen vacancies originating from the electroreduction. Due to the above features, ER-Sn₁Cu₁O_x-500/CC achieved 84.1% FE for HCOOH at −1.1 V vs. RHE, and the corresponding J_HCOOH was up to 32.4 mA·cm⁻² in the H-type cell. Especially in the flow cell, ER-Sn₁Cu₁O_x-500/GDE could reach a high J_HCOOH of 190 mA·cm⁻² at −1.1 V vs. RHE and maintained J_HCOOH higher than 100 mA·cm⁻² for 24 h with a formic acid selectivity over 70%, indicating both excellent catalytic activity and high HCOOH selectivity. In situ FTIR results revealed that synergism between Cu and Sn could regulate the adsorption of intermediates, thus enhancing the catalytic performance of ER-Sn₁Cu₁O_x-500 for ECO₂RR.

Keywords: carbon dioxide electroreduction; Cu-Sn bimetallic electrocatalyst; chemical foaming method; formic acid

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhu, C.; Yu, A.; Zhang, Y.; Chen, W.; Wu, Z.; Xu, M.; Qu, D.; Duan, J.; Li, X. Cu-Sn Electrocatalyst Prepared with Chemical Foaming and Electroreduction for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction. Catalysts 2025, 15, 484. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15050484

AMA Style

Zhu C, Yu A, Zhang Y, Chen W, Wu Z, Xu M, Qu D, Duan J, Li X. Cu-Sn Electrocatalyst Prepared with Chemical Foaming and Electroreduction for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction. Catalysts. 2025; 15(5):484. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15050484

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhu, Caibo, Ao Yu, Yin Zhang, Wenbo Chen, Zhijian Wu, Manni Xu, Deyu Qu, Junxin Duan, and Xi Li. 2025. "Cu-Sn Electrocatalyst Prepared with Chemical Foaming and Electroreduction for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction" Catalysts 15, no. 5: 484. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15050484

APA Style

Zhu, C., Yu, A., Zhang, Y., Chen, W., Wu, Z., Xu, M., Qu, D., Duan, J., & Li, X. (2025). Cu-Sn Electrocatalyst Prepared with Chemical Foaming and Electroreduction for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction. Catalysts, 15(5), 484. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15050484

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Cu-Sn Electrocatalyst Prepared with Chemical Foaming and Electroreduction for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction

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