Revealing active Cu nanograins for electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction through operando studies
Junjun Li, Yajing Sun, Zhicheng Zhang
Abstract
Abstract Copper (Cu) has been regarded as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for the conversion of CO 2 into a multicarbon product. However, the catalytic mechanism and the active sites of Cu catalysts under operating conditions still remain elusive. Yang's team applied systematic operando characterization techniques to provide a quantitative analysis of the valence states and the chemical environment of Cu nanocatalysts under electrochemical reaction conditions, which clearly reveal the evolution of Cu nanocatalysts before and after the entire electrochemical CO 2 reduction.
Topics & Concepts
Nanomaterial-based catalystElectrocatalystElectrochemistryCatalysisCopperValence (chemistry)Materials scienceChemical engineeringChemical reductionReaction mechanismInorganic chemistryNanotechnologyChemistryElectrodePhysical chemistryMetallurgyOrganic chemistryEngineeringCO2 Reduction Techniques and CatalystsIonic liquids properties and applicationsAdvanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices