Highly Selective and Stable Reduction of CO2 to CO by a Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Carbon Nanotube Composite Electrocatalyst

A stable and selective electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction was fabricated by covalently attaching graphitic carbon nitride onto multiwall carbon nanotubes (g-C3N4/MWCNTs). The as-prepared composite is able to reduce CO2 exclusively to CO with a maximum Faraday efficiency of 60%, and no decay in the catalytic activity was observed even after 50 h of reaction. The enhanced catalytic activity towards CO2 reduction is attributed to the formation of active carbon-nitrogen bonds, high specific surface area, and improved material conductivity of the g-C3N4/MWCNT composite.