Cyclic voltammetry activation of magnetron sputtered copper–zinc bilayer catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction†

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction is regarded as one of the most promising strategies for converting CO₂ to valuable chemicals or fuels. However, developing efficient catalysts for enhanced multi-carbon production at industrial current densities is still a great challenge. Herein, we report a novel method to prepare bimetallic Cu–Zn catalysts for electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction using magnetron sputtering and subsequent electrochemical cyclic voltammetry treatment. Due to the increase of the Cu–Zn interface and the shortening of mass transfer distance, the bimetallic Cu–Zn catalysts showed a faradaic efficiency (FE) of 29.3% for ethanol production at a current density of −250 mA cm⁻² when testing in a flow cell. Our work provides a new strategy for the design and synthesis of bimetallic catalysts for electrocatalysis.