Atmosphere Regulated Reconstruction of Carbon Cloth Supported CuZn Catalysts for Electrochemical CO₂ to Syngas Conversion

Quasi in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy analysis indicate that CO ₂ pretreatment can promote the transformation of oxide precursors into CuZn ₅ alloy phase; Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the electron redistribution from Zn to Cu in CuZn ₅.

The optimized electronic structure enhances the interaction between the catalyst surface and CO ₂ molecules, thereby facilitating the electrochemical conversion of CO ₂. The catalyst (CuZn-200-CO ₂) pretreated with CO ₂ achieved nearly 100% synthesis gas Faraday efficiency in the potential range of -0.65 to -1.25 V vs. RHE, and achieved the highest CO Faraday efficiency of 81.5% at -0.95 V. In addition, the catalyst can maintain a current density of 22 mA cm ² and a stable distribution of synthesis gas components even after continuous electrolysis for 190000 seconds.