Cu2O nanoparticles decorated with MoS2 sheets for electrochemical reduction of CO2 with enhanced efficiency

Electrochemical CO2 reduction has drawn substantial attention not only due to the demand for energy but also the need for a sustainable environment. In this work, a non-noble based electrocatalyst (Cu2O-MoS2) was developed using a facile method for its application in CO2 reduction. The synthesized composite material was characterized using XPS, XRD, FTIR, Raman, FESEM and EDS. The Cu2O-MoS2 composite material presented outstanding electrocatalytic activity towards CO2 reduction, and showed a reducing current density of 113 mA/cm(2)-almost twice that of the bare Cu2O (61 mA/cm(2)) and eight times higher than that of MoS2 sheet (21.3 mA/cm(2)). Furthermore, the onset potential of the Cu2O-MoS2 composite material is much lower compared to bare Cu2O nanoparticles and MoS2 sheets. The faradaic efficiency of the Cu2O-MoS2 composite material depends on the applied potential and it was found to be 12.3% and 7.9% for methanol and ethanol at -1.3 V and -1.1 V, respectively.

Automated summary

In this study, a non-noble based electrocatalyst (Cu2O-MoS2) was developed for CO2 reduction, showing outstanding electrocatalytic activity and high reducing current density.