Two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets for CO2 electroreduction in aqueous electrolytes

Abstract

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to valuable synthons is a sustainable and viable technique to reduce the carbon footprint in the atmosphere. In this work, two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx nanosheets have been investigated for selective CO2 adsorption and its subsequent electroreduction to valuable products in an aqueous electrolyte medium. Various physical and electrochemical characterizations have been performed to ascertain the structural, morphological, and electrocatalytic characteristics of Ti3C2Tx. Ti3C2Tx nanosheets show a CO2 adsorption capacity of 0.16 mmol g−1 under ambient conditions and exhibit a maximum faradaic efficiency of 96% towards CO2 electroreduction to C1 and C2+ products, mainly CO (42.2%), methanol (23.6%), ethanol (20.1%), and acetone (10.1%). Besides, it also shows high catalytic stability for product formation for a tested period of 72 h. This report sheds new light on the design of titanium-based advanced catalysts for efficient CO2 conversion in a benign aqueous medium. © 2023 RSC.