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February 14, 2026Nature Communications5 citationsOpen Access

Synergistic electrode design for efficient CO2 electrolysis to multicarbon products at elevated temperatures

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LHLina HuYYYun YangJWJiamin Wang

Key Points

  • This research focuses on the impact of elevated temperature on CO2 reduction to multicarbon products in electrolysis.
  • Investigated temperature effects on CO2 RR in flow cells
  • Designed hydrophobic-enhanced Pd-Cu2O/PTFE/Ag tandem electrodes
  • Measured Faradaic efficiency and current densities at elevated temperatures
  • Achieved over 70% Faradaic efficiency for C2+ at 348 K
  • Increased cathodic energy efficiency by 1.3 times compared to ambient operation
  • Identified challenges such as Cu catalyst reconstruction and gas diffusion flooding

Abstract

Electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) technology holds significant industrial potential. However, when faced with elevated-temperature environments caused by industrial-scale operations, the fundamental understanding of temperature-dependent CO 2 RR behavior in flow cells remains elusive. This study points out that elevated-temperature operation (>333 K) presents both challenges and opportunities for multi-carbon (C 2+ ) production. While elevated temperature enhances reaction kinetics and reduces thermodynamic energy barriers, it simultaneously induces reconstruction of Cu-based catalyst, accelerates gas diffusion electrode flooding, and promotes *CO desorption together with hydrogen evolution reaction, collectively suppressing C 2+ product formation and compromising long-term reactor stability. Through rational design of hydrophobic-enhanced Pd-Cu 2 O/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/Ag tandem electrodes, we overcome these challenges. Leveraging thermal reduced C-C coupling barriers, the optimized electrode achieves >70% Faradaic efficiency of C 2+ across industrially relevant current densities (200–1000 mA cm −2 ) at 348 K. This strategy converts elevated temperature adversity into a kinetic and thermodynamic advantage, boosting C 2+ cathodic energy efficiency by 1.3 times compared to ambient operation, establishing a promising paradigm for industrially viable CO 2 electrolysis.

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Cite This Study

Hu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/698fd276306598e8538de962https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69506-w
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