Rare‐Earth Y–O Skeleton‐Mediated Stabilization of Cu <sup>2+</sup> for Efficient CO <sub>2</sub> Electroreduction to CH <sub>4</sub>
Deguang Ji, Zi Yang, Yaxiong Yao, Yichao Hou, Zidong He, Pengfei Da, Wei Shen, An Li, Yuanmiao Sun, Pinxian Xi, Chun‐Hua Yan
Abstract
Abstract Copper‐based catalysts show considerable promise in the electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) for the production of hydrocarbons and oxygenates, particularly methane (CH 4 ), which is a highly reduced product. The high‐valent state of copper (Cu) exerts a positive influence on the formation pathway of CH 4 , but the reduction potential will lead to a decrease in the valence state during CO 2 RR. In this study, a highly crystalline and structurally well‐defined Y 2 Cu 2 O 5 catalyst is constructed to stabilize Cu 2+ with the orderly alternating Y─O skeleton layer, owing to the strong bonding interaction. The Y 2 Cu 2 O 5 exhibits a remarkable enhancement in CH 4 selectivity compared to CuO (up to 9.59‐folds), achieving a selectivity of 61.3% at 300 mA cm −2 and 58.4% at 400 mA cm −2 , together with good stability. In situ attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra (ATR‐FTIR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the presence of the Y─O skeleton layer in Y 2 Cu 2 O 5 significantly enhances the adsorption of *CO intermediate, and accelerates its hydrogenation process, facilitating the conversion of CO 2 to CH 4 . This work highlights Y─O skeleton‐mediated stabilization of Cu 2+ for efficient electroreduction of CO 2 to CH 4 , providing valuable insights into the design of efficient electrocatalysts for CO 2 conversion.