Operando X‐Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Reveals Dynamic Interfacial Metal–Metal Coordination Governing CO <sub>2</sub> Reduction Selectivity in PdAg Alloys
ABSTRACT Achieving high selectivity towards single carbon products in electrochemical CO 2 reduction requires precise control over intermediate binding energies, a challenge that monometallic catalysts cannot address due to inherent electronic structure limitations. Bimetallic catalyst offers a strategic solution through synergetic electronic effects that decouple these correlations, enabling independent optimization of CO 2 activation and CO desorption, critical steps for selective single‐carbon production. Herein, we demonstrate a Pd x Ag 1‐x electrocatalyst system that achieved a CO selectivity of 91% at −1.1 V versus RHE with an optimized composition. Operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that Ag as the active site, undergoes partial oxidation to Ag + under reaction conditions, donating electron density to Pd sites, while EXAFS analysis establishes composition–dependent metal–metal (M–M) bonding as the critical selectivity determinant. These findings provide a quantitative design framework for rational composition engineering of next‐generation bimetallic CO 2 reduction catalysts based on active site coordination dynamics.
Authors
- Hsu-Feng Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5223-742X)
- Naveen Karuppusamy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7184-6519)
- Pandiyarajan Anand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1934-8352)
- Ruspika Sundaresan
- Lin Lj
- Tsu-Hao Chang
- Shin‐Yu Chang
- Ching‐Wei Tung
- Yu‐Cheng Shao
Institutions
- Ming Chi University of Technology (TW)
- National Taiwan University (TW)
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (TW)
- RE Hydrogen (United Kingdom) (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials Interfaces
- Published
- 2026-06-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.70582
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science and Technology Council