Hierarchical Cavity Cu Nanostructures with Coordinative Microenvironment Engineering for pH‐Universal Electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub>‐to‐C<sub>2+</sub> Conversion

Abstract The rational design of copper‐based electrocatalysts with optimized *CO intermediate coverage and OH⁻‐enriched microenvironments remain critical yet challenging for achieving efficient CO 2 ‐to‐C 2+ conversion across varied pH conditions. This study presents a Kirkendall effect‐driven synthesis of hierarchical copper nanostructures featuring precisely engineered cavity architectures and tunable coordination environments. Through systematic coordination number (CN) modulation, it is demonstrated that the d‐band center position of Cu sites is positively correlated with *CO adsorption energy. Specifically, the moderate‐coordinated Cu (111) facets in three‐layered cavity structures (3L‐Cu) exhibit optimal *CO dimerization energetics. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of spatial confinement and ionic diffusion gradients, the 3L‐Cu catalyst establishes self‐sustaining alkaline microdomains even in acidic media (pH 1), as evidenced by in situ Raman spectroscopy. This unique microenvironment engineering enables state‐of‐the‐art C 2+ Faradaic efficiencies of 78.74 ± 2.36% (alkaline), 69.33 ± 2.08% (neutral), and 58.32 ± 1.75% (acidic) with sustained stability, outperforming existing pH‐universal CO 2 RR catalysts. First‐principles calculations further reveal that the multilayer confinement effect of 3L‐Cu reduces the coupling energy barriers of *CO‐*CO and *CO‐*COH in alkaline and acidic electrolytes, respectively. This work establishes a new paradigm for designing adaptive electrocatalysts through coordinated structural and electronic microenvironment control.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2025-03-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202504400
Citations
26
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.45

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article

Hierarchical Cavity Cu Nanostructures with Coordinative Microenvironment Engineering for pH‐Universal Electrocatalytic CO2‐to‐C2+ Conversion

Hu Zang, Baoyou Geng, Nan Yu, Changjiang Liu et al.
26 citations
Advanced Functional Materials
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
9.45
article

Hierarchical Cavity Cu Nanostructures with Coordinative Microenvironment Engineering for pH‐Universal Electrocatalytic CO2‐to‐C2+ Conversion

Hu Zang, Baoyou Geng, Nan Yu, Changjiang Liu, Haiyan Lu, Yujie Zhao
article en
26 citations

Abstract

Abstract The rational design of copper‐based electrocatalysts with optimized *CO intermediate coverage and OH⁻‐enriched microenvironments remain critical yet challenging for achieving efficient CO 2 ‐to‐C 2+ conversion across varied pH conditions. This study presents a Kirkendall effect‐driven synthesis of hierarchical copper nanostructures featuring precisely engineered cavity architectures and tunable coordination environments. Through systematic coordination number (CN) modulation, it is demonstrated that the d‐band center position of Cu sites is positively correlated with *CO adsorption energy. Specifically, the moderate‐coordinated Cu (111) facets in three‐layered cavity structures (3L‐Cu) exhibit optimal *CO dimerization energetics. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of spatial confinement and ionic diffusion gradients, the 3L‐Cu catalyst establishes self‐sustaining alkaline microdomains even in acidic media (pH 1), as evidenced by in situ Raman spectroscopy. This unique microenvironment engineering enables state‐of‐the‐art C 2+ Faradaic efficiencies of 78.74 ± 2.36% (alkaline), 69.33 ± 2.08% (neutral), and 58.32 ± 1.75% (acidic) with sustained stability, outperforming existing pH‐universal CO 2 RR catalysts. First‐principles calculations further reveal that the multilayer confinement effect of 3L‐Cu reduces the coupling energy barriers of *CO‐*CO and *CO‐*COH in alkaline and acidic electrolytes, respectively. This work establishes a new paradigm for designing adaptive electrocatalysts through coordinated structural and electronic microenvironment control.

Advanced Functional MaterialsVol. 35(35)
Anhui Normal University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
9.45
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