Formation of 1-Butanol from CO2 without *CO Dimerization on a Phosphorus-Rich Copper Cathode

Abstract

In this paper we first report the generation of 1-butanol from carbon dioxide (CO2) on a phosphorus-rich copper cathode, based on a combination of faradaic and autonomous nonfaradaic reactions. Experimental observations via in situ surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy show depletion of the CO adsorption peak. However, the faradaic efficiency of the obtained formate and acetaldehyde intermediates led us to propose a mechanism for the formation of 1-butanol that does not include a *CO dimerization step. All compounds were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition, (CO2)-C-13 labeling experiments confirmed that the origin of each product was from dissolved CO2. Results indicated remarkable faradaic efficiency for 1-butanol formation of 3.868%. This study provides a perspective on the C-C coupling reaction on Cu-based electrocatalysts for the electroreduction of CO2 into high-value multicarbon products.