Effect of KHCO3 Concentration Using CuO Nanowire for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Reaction

Copper has been proved to be the best catalyst for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction, however, for optimal efficiency and selectivity, its performance requires improvements. Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (RR) using CuO nanowire electrode was performed with different concentrations of KHCO3 electrolyte (0.1 M, 0.5 M, and 1 M). Cu(OH)2 was formed on Cu foil, followed by thermal-treatment at 200℃ under the air atmosphere for 2 hrs to transform it to the crystalline phase of CuO. We evaluated the effects of different KHCO3 electrolyte concentrations on electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (RR) using the CuO nanowire electrode. At a constant current (5mA), low concentrated bicarbonate exhibited a more negative potential -0.77 V vs. Reversible Hydrogen Electrode (RHE) (briefly abbreviated as VRHE), while the negative potential reduced to -0.33 VRHE in the high concentration of bicarbonate solution. Production of H2 and CH4 increased with an increased concentration of electrolyte (KHCO3). CH4 production efficiency was high at low negative potential whereas HCOOH was not influenced by bicarbonate concentration. Our study provides insights into efficient, economically viable, and sustainable methods of mitigating the harmful environmental effects of CO2 emission.