Conclusion
Herein, we developed a facile microwave irradiation method to prepare the oxide-derived Cu NSs. Extra-addition of Cu precursor generated a rough surface with nano-domains deposited on the pristine Cu NSs. The partially oxidized Cu+ state could be distinctively observed on the XPS spectrum of Cu-30. Due to the large surface area and the presence of Cu+ species, the FEC2+of Cu-30 could be improved up to 72 % and the partial current density for C2+ products could reach up to 55 mA cm−2. This facile microwave-assisted fabrication method will give a direction to cost-effective design of oxide-derived Cu catalyst for efficient synthesis of C2+ products by CO2RR.