Revealing the structural evolution of CuAg composites during electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction

Bibliographic Details
Title: Revealing the structural evolution of CuAg composites during electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction
Authors: Di Wang, Hyun Dong Jung, Shikai Liu, Jiayi Chen, Haozhou Yang, Qian He, Shibo Xi, Seoin Back, Lei Wang
Source: Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2024)
Publisher Information: Nature Portfolio, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Science
Subject Terms: Science
More Details: Abstract Comprehending the catalyst structural evolution during the electrocatalytic process is crucial for establishing robust structure/performance correlations for future catalysts design. Herein, we interrogate the structural evolution of a promising Cu-Ag oxide catalyst precursor during electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction. By using extensive in situ and ex situ characterization techniques, we reveal that the homogenous oxide precursors undergo a transformation to a bimetallic composite consisting of small Ag nanoparticles enveloped by thin layers of amorphous Cu. We believe that the amorphous Cu layer with undercoordinated nature is responsible for the enhanced catalytic performance of the current catalyst composite. By tuning the Cu/Ag ratio in the oxide precursor, we find that increasing the Ag concentration greatly promotes liquid products formation while suppressing the byproduct hydrogen. CO2/CO co-feeding electrolysis and isotopic labelling experiments suggest that high CO concentrations in the feed favor the formation of multi-carbon products. Overall, we anticipate the insights obtained for Cu-Ag bimetallic systems for CO electroreduction in this study may guide future catalyst design with improved performance.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2041-1723
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/2041-1723
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49158-4
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/efc9e86698f94db9a96e621d7d2c9208
Accession Number: edsdoj.fc9e86698f94db9a96e621d7d2c9208
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:20411723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-49158-4
Published in:Nature Communications
Language:English