Further Study of CO2 Electrochemical Reduction on Palladium Modified BDD Electrode: Influence of Electrolyte

The study of CO2 electrochemical reduction to useful compounds using bare or modified BDD electrode attracts numerous attentions. Meanwhile, the efficiency of products obtained from CO2 electrochemical reduction is known to be determined by the electrode material and the electrolyte. Formic acid as main product and CO as a minor product, have also been known on the CO2 reduction using BDD electrode. Recently, we reported the successful improvement of CO production from the reduction of CO2 by decorating the surface of BDD electrode with palladium particles. Following this, herein, we present further investigation on electrolyte dependence, including cation and anion dependence and also concentration effect in order to understand deeply the CO2 reduction on surface of palladium modified BDD electrode. The results suggest the use of NaCl and KCl as a catholyte for optimum performance, in addition to the improvement of CO2 reduction product in higher electrolyte concentration.