Asymmetric C–C Coupling to Drive CO Conversion to Acetate
Jia Liu, Ouwen Peng, Derong Chen, Xiaocang Han, Shibo Xi, Qikun Hu, Zixuan Gao, Yijia Yuan, Kun Zhang, Kian Ping Loh
Abstract
Electrochemical reduction of carbon monoxide (CORR) provides pathways for decarbonizing chemical manufacturing by producing high-value multicarbon (C 2+ ) products, though achieving high activity and selectivity toward a single principal C 2+ product remains challenging. Acetate, a critical liquid product, can be metabolized by bacteria to synthesize long-chain carbon compounds. Here, we design a core–shell Cu 2 O/Cu-2-methylimidazole (CuIM) catalyst with dual Cu sites (Cu + and Cu 0 ) during the CORR, which shifts the reaction pathway from symmetric *CO–*CO coupling to asymmetric *CH 2 –*CO coupling, thereby enhancing acetate formation. Ex situ X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) analyses reveal that Cu + remains stable and acts as an active site for generating *CH 2 intermediates on the CuIM catalyst. The CuIM electrocatalyst achieves a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 77.8% for acetate production from CO and a partial current density of 541.3 mA cm –2 . These advancements enable high energy efficiency in membrane electrode assemblies and reduced downstream separation costs for liquid products in solid-state electrolyte systems.