Boosting ethylene yield via a synergistic 2D/0D nanostructured VCu layered double hydroxide/TiO2 catalyst in electrochemical CO2 reduction

The electrochemical conversion of CO2 into C-1 and C-2 hydrocarbons, such as methane and ethylene, is a promising pathway toward achieving net zero carbon emissions; however, owing to the high activation barrier of CO2, this reaction remains a big challenge. In this work, an effective strategy has been developed through the synthesis of a low-cost vanadium- and copper-based layered double hydroxide (LDH) decorated with TiO2 nanoparticles (VCu LDH/TiO2) as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to ethylene. Structural and morphological studies of the developed electrocatalyst were carried out using various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which confirmed the successful formation of VCu LDH/TiO2. The electrochemical CO(2 )reduction reaction (CO2RR) was performed in 0.1 M KHCO3 using an H-type cell and afforded CO, H-2, CH4, and C2H4 as value-added end products. The highest faradaic efficiency of 84% was obtained for C2H4 at -0.4 V vs. RHE. The above results suggest that the VCu LDH/TiO2 NP electrocatalyst may be an excellent candidate for CO2 reduction and can also be utilized in a wide range of energy conversion and storage applications.