Stabilizing Copper by a Reconstruction-Resistant Atomic Cu-O-Si Interface for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Copper (Cu) is a key catalyst for electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) to valuable products.
• Catalyst reconstruction during CO2R leads to deactivation and hinders structure-performance relationship studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a strategy for stabilizing Cu catalysts against reconstruction.
• To synthesize and characterize reconstruction-resistant Cu-based catalysts for CO2R.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of amorphous CuSiO2 nanotube catalysts.
• Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) testing.
• Analysis of catalyst stability and selectivity.

Main Results:

• Reconstruction-resistant CuSiO2 amorphous nanotubes were successfully synthesized.
• The Cu-O-Si interfacial sites exhibited ultrastability during CO2R.
• Achieved high CO2-to-CH4 selectivity (72.5%) and stability (FECH > 60% after 12 h).
• Demonstrated a CO2-to-CH4 conversion rate of 0.22 μmol cm-2 s-1 in a flow cell.

Conclusions:

• Silica stabilization effectively prevents Cu catalyst reconstruction during CO2R.
• The developed CuSiO2 catalysts offer a promising route for highly active and stable CO2 reduction.
• This approach facilitates the exploration of structure-performance relationships in Cu-based CO2R catalysts.