Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition Synthesis of Copper(I) Oxide Thin Films for CO2 Reduction Photocatalysis

Copper(I) oxide thin films have been deposited on glass using a simple single-step chemical vapour deposition method, utilising commercially available Cu(acac)(2) (acac = acetylacetonato) dissolved in toluene and deposited at 350 degrees C, which when exposed to air on cooling forms a native protective layer of CuO <10 nm thick. These films are demonstrated to be active for photoelectrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide at -0.6 V versus Ag/AgCl, a potential route for conversion of waste CO2 to useful organic chemicals, and stable to photocorrosion.