Selectively Converting Carbon Dioxide to Syngas over Intermetallic AuCu Catalysts

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is attractive for efficiently recycling excessive CO2 to value-added feedstocks. However, their efficiency and selectivity strongly rely on the electrocatalysts. Herein, we report intermetallic AuCu catalysts for the selective and efficient CO2 conversion to syngas. Particularly, the ordered AuCu intermetallic catalyst achieves a high faradic efficiency of 75% with a partial current density of 78.3 mA cm(-2) at -0.6 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) for producing CO in a flowing cell configuration. Moreover, the content of the generated syngas is widely controlled according to the potential-dependent CO2 reduction. Electrochemical results demonstrate that crystal engineering in ordered intermetallic alloy improves the activity and selectivity of CO2 reduction. This work not only provides efficient intermetallic AuCu catalysts for selectively converting CO2 but also offers valuable insights into crystal engineering for comprehensive and selective utilization of CO2 for a sustainable community.

Automated summary

This study presents intermetallic AuCu catalysts for selectively and efficiently converting CO2 into syngas. The ordered structure of the catalyst improves the activity and selectivity of CO2 reduction, offering valuable insights for the comprehensive and selective utilization of CO2 for a sustainable community.