Cu₂O nanoparticles decorated with MoS₂ sheets for electrochemical reduction of CO₂ with enhanced efficiency

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. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]