Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2025

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Revealing the Nature of C-C Coupling Sites on a Cu Surface for CO2 Reduction
Mengmeng Song1, Zihao Jiao1, Wenhao Jing1
1International Research Center for Renewable Energy, State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China.
Abstract:
Electrochemical CO2 reduction technology plays an important role in reducing CO2 into valuable chemical fuels. Therein, Cu-based catalysts show superior performance for producing high-value C2+ products. Here, we illustrate the ascendency of high-index facets of Cu catalysts in producing C2+ products and find that two kinds of sites favor C-C coupling on the surface. One is prone to adsorb the C-C coupling structure by spanning stepped coppers with different coordination numbers. The other is to embed the structure along two columns of Cu with similar characteristics through O and C adsorbed simultaneously. Within all research surfaces, the coupling energy barrier is lowest on the Cu(911) facet, which is consistent with the experiment. The less charged sites promote the stabilization of the CO-CO structure as determined by charge analysis. Furthermore, our results suggest that the high selectivity for C2+ products on a Cu surface could significantly come from the contribution of the high-index facet.
More Related Videos
08:40Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
10:19Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Spin–Spin Coupling: Three-Bond Coupling (Vicinal Coupling)
The extent of coupling depends on the C‑C bond length, the two H‑C‑C angles, any electron-withdrawing substituents, and the dihedral angle between the...
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
Spin–Spin Coupling: Two-Bond Coupling (Geminal Coupling)
The central atom need not be NMR-active because its electrons are affected by the electron polarization of the spin-active atoms. However, spin information is transmitted less effectively than in one-bond coupling, and 2J values are usually weaker than 1J values. The energy of...
¹H NMR: Long-Range Coupling
In alkenes, spin information is communicated via σ–π overlap, as seen in allylic (four-bond) and homoallylic (five-bond) couplings. These coupling interactions are stronger when the σ bond is parallel to the alkene...
Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Vicinal Diols via Reductive Coupling of Aldehydes or Ketones: Pinacol Coupling Overview