The effect of surface conditions on the electrochemical CO2 reduction performance of bimetallic AuPd electrocatalysts

Most research into electrochemical CO2 conversion focusses on improving electrode materials, but neglects the role of the electrolyte. We show the buffer influence on the selectivity of a bimetallic gold–palladium electrode in an effort to elucidate observed inconsistencies between different studies. While hydrocarbons are produced in the phosphate buffer, they remain absent in the bicarbonate buffer, showing that the electrolyte choice plays a crucial role in the selectivity of the electrode.