Enhanced Ethylene Production from Electrocatalytic Acetylene Semi-hydrogenation Over Porous Carbon-Supported Cu Nanoparticles

Electrocatalytic semi-hydrogenation of acetylene (C₂H₂) over copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) offers a promising non-petroleum alternative for the green production of ethylene (C₂H₄). However, server hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) competition in this process prominently decreases C₂H₄ selectivity, thereby hindering its practical application. Herein, a Cu-based composite catalyst, wherein porous carbon with nanoscale pores was used as a support, is constructed to gather the C₂H₂ feedstocks for suppressing the undesirable HER. As a result, the as-prepared catalyst exhibited C₂H₂ conversion of 27.1% and C₂H₄ selectivity of 88.4% at a C₂H₄ partial current density of 0.25 A/cm² under optimal − 1.0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under the simulated coal-derived C₂H₂ atmosphere, significantly outperforming the single Cu NPs counterparts. In addition, a series of in situ and ex situ experimental results show that not only the porous nature of the carbon support but also the stabilized Cu⁰–Cu⁺ dual active sites through the strong metal–support interactions enhance the adsorption capacity of C₂H₂, leading to high C₂H₂ partial pressure, restraining the HER and thus improving the C₂H₄ selectivity.