UC Santa Cruz

Using sunlight to produce valuable chemicals and fuels from carbon dioxide (CO₂ ), i.e., artificial photosynthesis (AP) is a promising strategy to achieve solar energy storage and a negative carbon cycle. However, selective synthesis of C₂ compounds with a high CO₂ conversion rate remains challenging for current AP technologies. We performed CO₂ photoelectroreduction over a graphene/silicon carbide (SiC) catalyst under simulated solar irradiation with ethanol (C₂ H₅ OH) selectivity of>99 % and a CO₂ conversion rate of up to 17.1 mmol g_cat ^-1  h^-1 with sustained performance. Experimental and theoretical investigations indicated an optimal interfacial layer to facilitate the transfer of photogenerated electrons from the SiC substrate to the few-layer graphene overlayer, which also favored an efficient CO₂ to C₂ H₅ OH conversion pathway.