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Electrochemical CO2 reduction has drawn substantial attention not only due to the demand for energy but also the need for a sustainable environment. In this work, a non-noble based electrocatalyst (Cu2O-MoS2) was developed using a facile method for its application in CO2 reduction. The synthesized composite material was characterized using XPS, XRD, FTIR, Raman, FESEM and EDS. The Cu2O-MoS2 composite material presented outstanding electrocatalytic activity towards CO2 reduction, and showed a reducing current density of 113 mA/cm2-almost twice that of the bare Cu2O (61 mA/cm2) and eight times higher than that of MoS2 sheet (21.3 mA/cm2). Furthermore, the onset potential of the Cu2O-MoS2 composite material is much lower compared to bare Cu2O nanoparticles and MoS2 sheets. The faradaic efficiency of the Cu2O-MoS2 composite material depends on the applied potential and it was found to be 12.3% and 7.9% for methanol and ethanol at − 1.3 V and − 1.1 V, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel Cu 2 O-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 composite material was synthesized. • The composite material demonstrated excellent catalytic performances in hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic media. • The composite exhibited a low onset potential of −0.14 V vs RHE and a high current density of 237.6 mA/cm2 at −0.8 V. • The composite displayed excellent durability as a catalyst in HER with no drop in the current density for many hours. • Reaction kinetics and mechanism were explained with the help of the Tafel slope. This work focused on developing an efficient electrocatalyst comprising a cost-effective metal oxide and two-dimensional layered materials. Tricomponent Cu 2 O-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 composite material was synthesized using a facile two-step procedure for their catalytic application in electrochemical hydrogen evolution. In addition to the more electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), the presence of synergistic properties among the components in the Cu 2 O-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 composite material contributed to the excellent efficiency of the catalyst in the evolution of hydrogen from an aqueous acidic solution. The composite demonstrated a low overpotential of −0.14 V vs RHE at 10 mA/cm2 and a high total current density of 237.6 mA/cm2 at −0.8 V. The improvement in the performance of the composite material for hydrogen evolution (HER) was supported by PEIS results in addition to CV and LSV. The reaction kinetics of the HER catalyzed by Cu 2 O-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 composite material was explained with the help of the Tafel slope. Moreover, the high durability of the catalyst with no drop in the current density for many hours was established through CA measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, Cu 2 O nanoparticles were successfully prepared onto the surface of two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) by using a simple solution chemistry approach. An environment-friendly reducing agent, glucose, was used for the synthesis of Cu 2 O NPs onto the surface of g-C 3 N 4 without using any surfactant or additives. The surface composition, crystalline structure, morphology, as well as other properties have been investigated using XPS, XRD, SEM, FTIR, FESEM, EDS, etc. The electrochemical measurements of the prepared materials demonstrated that Cu 2 O exhibited a weak oxidation activity towards urea, while g-C 3 N 4 has no activity towards urea oxidation. The Cu 2 O supported on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 (Cu 2 O-g-C 3 N 4) demonstrated a significant activity towards urea oxidation that reached two times that of the unsupported one. The significant increase in the performance was related to the synergetic effect between the Cu 2 O and g-C 3 N 4 support. The prepared composite materials demonstrated high stability towards urea oxidation as confirmed from the stable current discharge for around 3 h without any noticeable degradation performance. • Cu 2 O nanoparticles with graphitic carbon nitride was synthesized. • The composite is utilized as efficient electrocatalyst for the oxidation of Urea. • The Cu 2 O-g-C 3 N 4 composite showed high catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 with high selectivity for alcohol production has been considered as a proper way to address both energy catastrophe and environmental complications around the globe. Herein, two metal oxides, namely CuO and ZnO having great potential to catalyze the CO 2 reduction, are chosen to form a composite with MoS 2 , where MoS 2 sheets act as support and enhance electrocatalytic properties of CuO–ZnO due to their synergistic effect. The synthesis and characterizations of the tricomponent CuO–ZnO–MoS 2 composite material is reported for the first time in this work. The composite possessed outstanding catalytic performance in CO 2 reduction to alcohol in terms of extraordinary current density (121 mA/cm2) and low onset potential (−0.23 V vs RHE). The composite material showed maximum faradaic efficiency of 24.6% and 11.1% for methanol and ethanol at −0.6 V and −0.9 V vs RHE, respectively. [Display omitted] • A novel tricomponent composite (CuO–ZnO–MoS 2) material was developed. • The synthesized material was characterized by different instrument techniques. • The composite possessed excellent catalytic activity in CO 2 reduction. • Faradaic efficiency of 24.6% and 11.1% for methanol and ethanol was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel composite (Cu-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2) of Cu NPs, g-C 3 N 4 and MoS 2 is synthesized. • The resulting composite material was characterized by different instrument techniques. • The composite is utilized as an efficient electrocatalyst in electrochemical CO 2 reduction. • The composite material exhibited higher efficiency compared to their individual components. • The composite material showed faradaic efficiency of 19.7% and 4.8% for methanol and ethanol, respectively. Designing a vastly effective and stable electrocatalyst for accelerating CO 2 reduction is presented and discussed. Herein, we report a Cu-based composite material comprising of g-C 3 N 4 , MoS 2, and copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) for more efficient electrochemical CO 2 reduction. The g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 is used as a support for Cu NPs as part of the novel composite structure (Cu-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2). The material exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity because of synergistic effect arises from their components. The material also demonstrated higher efficiency in the CO 2 reduction compared to other composites such as Cu NPs supported on g-C 3 N 4 (i.e., Cu-g-C 3 N 4) and MoS 2 (i.e., Cu-MoS 2) with reference to superior current density and potential. The synthesized Cu-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 composite material demonstrated the highest faradaic efficiency of 19.7% and 4.8% for methanol and ethanol, respectively. Electrochemical impedance measurement confirms charge transfer enhancement in Cu-g-C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 composite material compared to Cu-g-C 3 N 4 and Cu-MoS 2. Chronoamperometric measurement confirms the high stability of the composite material without degradation in the current density up to 30 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]