Highly efficient electrocatalysis for the fixation of CO₂ into cyclic carbonates with carbon sphere-loaded copper nanoparticles cathode material

A series of C sphere-loaded high-dispersion Cu nanoparticles (Cu/CS) was designed and prepared as cathode material for the electrocatalytic cycloaddition of CO₂ and epoxides to form cyclic carbonates at room temperature and normal pressure. Materials were prepared using a simple one-pot method combined with calcination under N₂ atmosphere. A series of characterisation was conducted to determine the material characteristics, such as composition, content, morphology and structure. Results showed that Cu nanoparticles were dispersed evenly on the C sphere with high specific surface area (> 395 m²/g) and large pore volume (0.2 m³/g). Among them, the Cu/CS-II cathode material with a yield of 94.7% possessed the best catalytic effect for CO₂ and propylene oxide to form propylene carbonate. The materials were found to have good universality by expanding different substrates. Moreover, the reuse of the cathode material without a remarkable reduction in yield indicated that the material had good stability.