Structuring Cu Membrane Electrode for Maximizing Ethylene Yield from CO2 Electroreduction

Electrocatalytic ethylene (C2H4) evolution from CO2 reduction is an intriguing route to mitigate both the energy and environmental crises; however, to acquire industrially relevant high productivity and selectivity at low energy cost remains to be challenging. Membrane assembly electrode has shown great prospect and tailoring its architecture for maximizing C2H4 yield at minimum voltage with long-term stability becomes critical. Here a freestanding Cu membrane cathode is designed and constructed by electrochemically depositing mesoporous Cu film on Cu foam to simultaneously manage CO2, electron, water, and product transport, which shows an extraordinary C2H4 Faradaic efficiency of 85.6% with a full cell power conversion efficiency of 33% at a current density of 368 mA cm(-2), heading the techno-economic viability for electrocatalytic C2H4 production.