Given that CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, using the energy of sunlight to convert CO₂ to transportation fuels (such as methanol or methane) represents a value-added approach to the simultaneous generation of alternative fuels and environmental remediation of carbon emissions. Electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry have been proven to be a useful avenue for solar water splitting. CO₂ reduction, however, is multi-electron in nature (e.g., 6 e^- to methanol) with considerable kinetic barriers to electron transfer. It therefore requires the use of carefully designed electrode surfaces to accelerate e- transfer rates to levels that make practical sense. In this talk I will present hybrid photoelectrodes leading to enhanced efficiency, selectivity, and stability.

First, I will present the use of electrosynthetic (and photoelectrosynthetic) methods for preparing semiconductors on nanocarbon-modified electrode surfaces. Composites of nanocarbons with both inorganic and organic semiconductors represent an interesting class of new functional materials. Therefore, I will show how electrodeposition can be used to tune composition, crystal structure, and morphology of the nanocomposites for targeted applications.

In the second part of my talk, selected examples will be given for how these electrosynthesized hybrid assemblies can be deployed in various photoelectrochemical application schemes, most importantly CO₂ conversion. I will present the controlled synthesis and photoelectrochemical behavior of Cu₂O/CNT and Cu₂O/graphene composites. A carefully designed, multiple-step electrodeposition protocol was developed that ensured homogeneous coating of the CNTs with the Cu₂O nanocrystals. TiO₂/ graphene nanocomposites were also obtained in a similar manner. This enhanced charge transport property for the hybrids resulted in a drastic increase in the photocurrents measured for the CO₂ reduction. In addition to this superior performance, long term photoelectrolysis measurements proved that the Cu₂O/nanocarbon hybrids were more stable than the oxide alone. Taking these observations together as a whole, a general model will be presented on the role of the nanocarbon scaffold.

Acknowledgements

This research was partially supported by the “Széchenyi 2020” program in the framework of GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00013 “Intelligent materials based on functional surfaces – from syntheses to applications” project.