Gold Nanoparticles on Polymer‐Wrapped Carbon Nanotubes: An Efficient and Selective Catalyst for the Electroreduction of CO 2

Multiple approaches will be needed to reduce the atmospheric CO 2 levels, which have been linked to the undesirable effects of global climate change. The electroreduction of CO 2 driven by renewable energy is one approach to reduce CO 2 emissions while producing chemical building blocks, but current electrocatalysts exhibit low activity and selectivity. Here, we report the structural and electrochemical characterization of a promising catalyst for the electroreduction of CO 2 to CO: Au nanoparticles supported on polymer‐wrapped multiwall carbon nanotubes. This catalyst exhibits high selectivity for CO over H 2 : 80–92 % CO, as well as high activity: partial current density for CO as high as 160 mA cm −2 . The observed high activity, originating from a high electrochemically active surface area (23 m 2  g −1 Au), in combination with the low loading (0.17 mg cm −2 ) of the highly dispersed Au nanoparticles underscores the promise of this catalyst for efficient electroreduction of CO 2 .