A study of the effect of electrode composition on the electrochemical reduction of CO2

Abstract The composition of the catalyst layer plays an important role in the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), since it influences greatly the mass diffusion rate and the accessibility of active sites. Until now, tremendous efforts have been dedicated to the development of cathode materials with innovative characteristics, while scarce efforts have been concentrated on the study of the catalyst layer aiming at maximizing the performance of the electrodes toward the CO2RR. This work focuses on a full investigation of the key electrode components and their effects on the CO2RR performance. It is found that all key components such as Nafion binder, zinc oxide catalyst and carbon black conductor significantly affect the current density and the faradaic efficiency for carbon monoxide (CO) formation.