Method of preparing electrocatalysts for converting carbon dioxide to chemicals

A method of synthesizing a catalyst comprising:

• adding a catalytic metal selected from the group consisting of Sn and Cu in its metallic form to molten lithium metal, wherein a ratio of Cu to Li ranges from 0.5% to 2% or the relative ratio of Sn to Li ranges from 4% to 40%;
• atomically dispersing the catalytic metal in the molten lithium metal;
• forming a lithium catalytic metal-solid;
• converting a portion of lithium in the lithium catalytic metal solid to lithium hydroxide forming a catalytic metal-lithium hydroxide solid;
• mixing said catalytic metal-lithium hydroxide solid with a conductive support material to form a mixture, the conductive support material being carbonaceous with a porous network and having catalytic metal decorated throughout the porous network with a specific surface area of 1200 to 2000 m2/g;
• removing lithium hydroxide from the mixture leaving a mixture of catalytic metal and the conductive support material;
• and
• drying the mixture of catalytic metal and the conductive support material to produce the catalyst containing the catalytic metal atomically dispersed over the conductive support material.