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Subsurface Oxygen in Oxide-Derived Copper Electrocatalysts for Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [5];  [3];  [1]
  1. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Stockholm Univ., Stockholm (Sweden)
  2. Univ. of Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland)
  3. Stockholm Univ., Stockholm (Sweden)
  4. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  5. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Copper electrocatalysts derived from an oxide have shown extraordinary electrochemical properties for the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR). Using in situ ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and quasi in situ electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope, we show that there is a substantial amount of residual oxygen in nanostructured, oxide-derived copper electrocatalysts but no residual copper oxide. On the basis of these findings in combination with density functional theory simulations, we propose that residual subsurface oxygen changes the electronic structure of the catalyst and creates sites with higher carbon monoxide binding energy. If such sites are stable under the strongly reducing conditions found in CO2RR, these findings would explain the high efficiencies of oxide-derived copper in reducing carbon dioxide to multicarbon compounds such as ethylene.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1379672
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1361142
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 8; ISSN 1948-7185
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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