Constructing grain boundary to stabilize Cu<sup>0</sup>/Cu<sup>+</sup> interfacial sites for efficient <scp>CO<sub>2</sub></scp> reduction reaction
Abstract The electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) to multi‐carbon (C 2+ ) products derived by renewable energy represents a promising strategy for mitigating CO 2 emissions. One of the intensively studied strategies is to stabilize Cu + species on catalysts to facilitate the adsorption of *CO intermediates. However, the reductive environment during CO 2 RR renders the Cu + species on the catalyst surface susceptible to reduction to Cu 0 . Here, we developed a GB‐Cu 2 O‐Cu catalyst featuring enriched grain boundaries via an in situ electrochemical reduction process to stabilize Cu + species, resulting in an abundance of Cu 0 /Cu + interfacial active sites. In situ x‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy further revealed that the presence of grain boundaries effectively shields the Cu + species on the catalyst surface from undergoing reduction during CO 2 RR, facilitating the concentration of *CO intermediates and thus promoting C‐C dimerization to C 2+ products.
Authors
- Chunzhong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7897-5850)
- Yongjun Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8768-1958)
- Xiaoqing Mao
- Zhongliang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7279-0150)
- Dexiang Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3168-2978)
- Shi‐Zhong Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9979-4469)
- Congcong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3299-0939)
- Huihui Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7781-1501)
- Bin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6242-7726)
Institutions
- East China University of Science and Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- AIChE Journal
- Published
- 2025-04-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.18829
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.45
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities