Tin nanoparticles decorated copper oxide nanowires for selective electrochemical reduction of aqueous CO2 to CO

A low-cost electrocatalyst comprising tin nanoparticles on copper oxide nanowires selectively converts CO2 to CO. A facile and cost-effective surface modification method, electroless deposition, is used to prepare the electrode. The hybrid electrode exhibits excellent selectivity, activity and durability at modest overpotentials. Notably, the CO faradaic efficiency can reach 90% and the CO partial current density approaches 4.5 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 690 mV. This is comparable to some noble metal catalysts.