Interfacial Synergy between the Cu Atomic Layer and CeO₂ Promotes CO Electrocoupling to Acetate

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Copper (Cu) is a promising electrocatalyst for carbon monoxide/dioxide reduction reactions (CORR/CO2RR) due to its C-C coupling ability.
• Achieving high selectivity for C2+ liquid products like acetate remains a significant challenge in Cu-based catalyst design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rationally designed Cu-based catalyst for highly selective CORR/CO2RR to acetate.
• To investigate the role of interfacial synergy between Cu and CeO2 in promoting acetate formation.

Main Methods:

• Spraying atomically layered Cu atoms onto CeO2 nanorods to create Cu-CeO2 catalysts.
• Characterization of catalyst structure and interfacial properties, focusing on oxygen vacancies (Ov).
• Electrochemical testing to evaluate acetate selectivity and production rates in CORR.

Main Results:

• The Cu-CeO2 catalyst exhibited enhanced acetate selectivity in CORR.
• Strong interfacial synergy (Cu-Ce(Ov)) promoted H2O adsorption and dissociation, crucial for acetate synthesis.
• High Faradaic efficiencies (FEs) for acetate (>50%, max 62.4%) were achieved in the 50-150 mA cm-2 current density range.
• The Cu-CeO2 catalyst demonstrated a superior turnover frequency (1477 h-1) compared to other Cu-based catalysts.

Conclusions:

• Atomically layered Cu on CeO2 nanorods is an effective strategy for designing high-performance CORR/CO2RR catalysts.
• The interfacial Cu-Ce(Ov) synergy is key to selectively producing acetate.
• This work offers valuable insights for developing advanced catalysts for value-added chemical production.