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.

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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
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article

Manipulating Adsorbed Hydrogen on Sulfur-Modified Cu 2 O: Industrial-Current-Density CO 2 Electroreduction to C 2 H 4 Products

Rui‐tang Guo, Heng-fei Cui, Hao-wen Zhu, Ming-yang Liu et al.
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
article

Manipulating Adsorbed Hydrogen on Sulfur-Modified Cu 2 O: Industrial-Current-Density CO 2 Electroreduction to C 2 H 4 Products

Rui‐tang Guo, Heng-fei Cui, Hao-wen Zhu, Ming-yang Liu, Qing-shan Wang, Cong Liu
article en

Abstract

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.

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & EngineeringVol. 14(16)
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (CN), Shanghai University of Electric Power (CN)
Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 25%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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