Electrocatalysis of CO2 reduction at surface modified metallic and semiconducting electrodes

Abstract The use of surface modified metallic and semiconducting electrodes for the electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 is demonstrated using electropolymerized films of [Re(CO) 3 (v-bpy) Cl](v-bpy is 4-vinyl, 4′-methyl-2,2′bipyridine). Large turnovers (ca. 600) were obtained for films on metallic electrodes (e.g. Pt). On semiconductor electrodes (p-Si and polycrystalline thin films of p-WSe 2 ) somewhat lower (450) turnovers were obtained. In both cases CO was the predominant reduction product with essentially unit current efficiency.

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