Zn-Cu Alloy Nanofoams as Efficient Catalysts for the Reduction of CO2 to Syngas Mixtures with a Potential-Independent H2/CO Ratio

Alloying strategies are commonly used to design electrocatalysts that take on properties of their constituent elements. Herein, such a strategy is used to develop Zn-Cu alloyed electrodes with unique hierarchical porosity and tunable selectivity for CO2 versus H+ reduction. By varying the Zn/Cu ratio, tailored syngas mixtures are obtained without the production of other gaseous products, which is attributed to preferential CO- and H-2-forming pathways on the alloys. The syngas ratios are also significantly less sensitive to the applied potential in the alloys relative to pure metal equivalents; an essential quality when coupling electrocatalysis with renewable power sources that have fluctuating intensity. As such, industrially relevant syngas ratios are achieved at large currents (-60 mA) for extensive operating times (> 9 h), demonstrating the potential of this strategy for fossil-free fuel production.