Deciphering Structure-Activity Relationship Towards CO₂ Electroreduction over SnO₂ by A Standard Research Paradigm

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrocatalyst performance is dictated by surface structures under reaction conditions.
• Understanding the structure-activity relationship is crucial for designing efficient electrocatalysts.
• The complex interface microenvironment in electrocatalysis hinders the study of realistic active surfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a standard research paradigm for deciphering electrocatalyst structure-activity relationships.
• To identify the authentic surface states responsible for electrocatalytic performance.
• To accelerate the design of efficient and sustainable electrocatalysts for energy conversion.

Main Methods:

• Development of a standard research paradigm for electrocatalysis.
• Exemplification of the paradigm using carbon dioxide electroreduction (CO2 RR) over tin dioxide (SnO2).
• Combination of experiments with various SnO2 morphologies and in situ characterizations.
• Extension of the methodology to tin monoxide (SnO) electrocatalysts.

Main Results:

• Discovery of the authentic/resting surface state (Sn layer) of SnO2 responsible for CO2 RR.
• Corroboration of the Sn layer's role through experiments with different SnO2 morphologies.
• Validation of the proposed methodology on SnO electrocatalysts, providing insights into catalytic structures.

Conclusions:

• The proposed research paradigm effectively deciphers electrocatalyst structure-activity relationships.
• The methodology bridges the gap between theoretical predictions and experimental results.
• This approach accelerates the development of catalysts for sustainable energy conversion applications.