Performance and stability of a novel cell PGM-free during the CO2 and H2O co-electrolysis in alkaline media

The development of a composite electrocatalyst based Ag and CuO (both are non-critical raw materials) were investigated for CO2 reduction on alkaline environment. The composite CuO-Ag was selected for the cathode reaction in order to minimise the occurrence of hydrogen evolution. A selectivity of 53% at 1.6 V and 75% at 1.8 V towards methanol with respect to the overall alcohol content, was registered. The CO2 productivity was significantly higher than that of the previous experiments with NaHCO3 at the same cell voltage of 1.8 V and much higher at 1.6 V cell voltage.