Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction for Dynamic C₁, C₂, and C₃₊ Chemistry over Electrodeposited Zn on Cu and CuZn Mesh Supports

The electrodeposition of Cu and Zn onto bare Cu and CuZn mesh supports offers a straightforward method for fabricating novel electrodes for electrochemical CO2 reduction (EC CO2R). This study evaluates the performance of these modified electrodes by assessing their Faradaic efficiency (FE) under various conditions including different electrolytes, concentrations, applied potentials, recycling effects, and Nafion treatment. The reduction products were categorized into several groups: C1 gaseous products (CO and CH4), C2 gaseous products (C2H4 and C2H6), C3,4 hydrocarbons, major C1/C2/C3 liquid products (formate, ethanol, and propanol), and minor C1/C2/C3 liquid products (methanol, acetate, acetaldehyde, and isopropanol). We evaluated their dynamic FE variations under various experimental conditions. The production of C2+ hydrocarbons through EC CO2R was found to be analogous to conventional Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, highlighting the pivotal roles of *CO and *CHx intermediates. This study's insights into the dynamic variations of C1, C2, and C3+ product chemistry aid in the further development of Zn and Cu-based electrocatalysts.