Cation-Induced Interfacial Hydrophobic Microenvironment Promotes the C-C Coupling in Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) toward C₂ products is a promising way for the clean energy economy. Modulating the structure of the electric double layer (EDL), especially the interfacial water and cation type, is a useful strategy to promote C-C coupling, but atomic understanding lags far behind the experimental observations. Herein, we investigate the combined effect of interfacial water and alkali metal cations on the C-C coupling at the Cu(100) electrode/electrolyte interface using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations with a constrained MD and slow-growth approach. We observe a linear correlation between the water-adsorbate stabilization effect, which manifests as hydrogen bonds, and the corresponding alleviation in the C-C coupling free energy. The role of a larger cation, compared to a smaller cation (e.g., K⁺ vs Li⁺), lies in its ability to approach the interface through desolvation and coordinates with the *CO+*CO moiety, partially substituting the hydrogen-bonding stabilizing effect of interfacial water. Although this only results in a marginal reduction of the energy barrier for C-C coupling, it creates a local hydrophobic environment with a scarcity of hydrogen bonds owing to its great ionic radius, impeding the hydrogen of surrounding interfacial water to approach the oxygen of the adsorbed *CO. This skillfully circumvents the further hydrogenation of *CO toward the C₁ pathway, serving as the predominant factor through which a larger cation facilitates C-C coupling. This study unveils a comprehensive atomic mechanism of the cation-water-adsorbate interactions that can facilitate the further optimization of the electrolyte and EDL for efficient C-C coupling in CO₂RR.