Electrochemical reduction of CO2 and H2O by altering Cu content in Cu-porous ZnO sheets for adjustable H2/CO ratio in syngas production

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 and H2O to produce syngas is a promising approach for obtaining raw materials for industrial production. Herein, a series of low cost Cu/ZnO composites were synthesized by a simple calcination method, which can serve as electrocatalysts for the precise synthesis of syngas with various designer H2/CO ratios. The experimental results reveal that the proportion of H2 in gaseous products increases as Cu coverage on the ZnO surface increases. Thus, by regulating the amount of Cu loading, the ratios of H2 to CO can be controlled in a wide range from 0.1 to 3.4, which is suitable for synthesizing a variety of downstream products.