Highly Selective Production of Ethylene by the Electroreduction of Carbon Monoxide

Conversion of carbon monoxide to high value-added ethylene with high selectivity by traditional syngas conversion process is challenging because of the limitation of Anderson-Schulz-Flory distribution. Herein we report a direct electrocatalytic process for highly selective ethylene production from CO reduction with water over Cu catalysts at room temperature and ambient pressure. An unprecedented 52.7 % Faradaic efficiency of ethylene formation is achieved through optimization of cathode structure to facilitate CO diffusion at the surface of the electrode and Cu catalysts to enhance the C-C bond coupling. The highly selective ethylene production is almost without other carbon-based byproducts (e.g. C-1-C-4 hydrocarbons and CO2) and avoids the drawbacks of the traditional Fischer-Tropsch process that always delivers undesired products. This study provides a new and promising strategy for highly selective production of ethylene from the abundant industrial CO.