Manipulating Adsorbed Hydrogen on Sulfur-Modified Cu <sub>2</sub> O: Industrial-Current-Density CO <sub>2</sub> Electroreduction to C <sub>2</sub> H <sub>4</sub> Products
The direct electroreduction of CO2 provides a promising route to produce valuable chemicals and achieve a negative carbon cycle. However, its selectivity is still limited by the transport and surface coverage of key intermediates, especially the insufficient local CO2 supply and the inadequate *CO accumulation needed for C2+ formation. Here, we design an S-doped Cu2O catalyst (SP-Cu2O) with a tailored microstructure that simultaneously enhances CO2 delivery and enables the mechanistic evaluation of S-induced selectivity under CO2-enriched conditions. Hydrophobic surface engineering promotes the formation of a symmetric hydrogen-bond network, enriching CO2 near the catalyst interface. Operando FTIR-SEIRAS and DFT calculations reveal that this enriched microenvironment boosts *CO generation, while sulfur doping downshifts the Cu d-band center, facilitating the desorption and migration of *CO and *COH and suppressing excessive *COH hydrogenation─ultimately promoting C–C coupling. Consequently, 1% SP-Cu2O achieves a C2+ Faradaic efficiency of 79.4% and a partial current density of 302.4 mA cm–2 at −1.2 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode. This strategy offers a generally applicable route to improving CO2 utilization efficiency across diverse catalyst systems, thereby enhancing the sustainability of future CO2.
Authors
- Rui‐tang Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5646-5099)
- Heng-fei Cui
- Hao-wen Zhu
- Ming-yang Liu
- Qing-shan Wang
- Cong Liu
Institutions
- University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (CN)
- Shanghai University of Electric Power (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
- Published
- 2026-04-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c12819
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality