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 C₁ and C₂ 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 CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) was performed in 0.1 M KHCO₃ using an H-type cell and afforded CO, H₂, 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.