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Title: Probing the Active Surface Sites for CO Reduction on Oxide-Derived Copper Electrocatalysts

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5b06227· OSTI ID:1234582
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark). Center for Individual Nanoparticle Functionality, Dept. of Physics
  2. Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
  3. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Materials Science Division
  4. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Materials Engineering Division

CO electroreduction activity on oxide-derived Cu (OD-Cu) was found to correlate with metastable surface features that bind CO strongly. OD-Cu electrodes prepared by H2 reduction of Cu2O precursors reduce CO to acetate and ethanol with nearly 50% Faradaic efficiency at moderate overpotential. Temperature-programmed desorption of CO on OD-Cu revealed the presence of surface sites with strong CO binding that are distinct from the terraces and stepped sites found on polycrystalline Cu foil. After annealing at 350 °C, the surface-area corrected current density for CO reduction is 44-fold lower and the Faradaic efficiency is less than 5%. These changes are accompanied by a reduction in the proportion of strong CO binding sites. Here, we propose that the active sites for CO reduction on OD-Cu surfaces are strong CO binding sites that are supported by grain boundaries. Uncovering these sites is a first step toward understanding the surface chemistry necessary for efficient CO electroreduction.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1234582
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-672859
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 137, Issue 31; ISSN 0002-7863
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 604 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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