High-efficiency C₃ electrosynthesis on a lattice-strain-stabilized nitrogen-doped Cu surface

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Electrochemistry
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 and water to multi-carbon fuels is crucial for energy storage and carbon recycling.
• Producing extended-chain hydrocarbons (C_n, n≥3) is challenging due to the trade-off between CO adsorption and C-C coupling.
• Existing catalysts struggle to simultaneously optimize CO coverage and C-C coupling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a single catalyst that overcomes the seesaw dynamic between CO adsorption and C-C coupling for multi-carbon fuel synthesis.
• To investigate the performance of a novel lattice-strain-stabilized nitrogen-doped copper (LSN-Cu) catalyst.
• To demonstrate efficient and stable electrosynthesis of n-propanol.

Main Methods:

• Facile synthesis of lattice-strain-stabilized nitrogen-doped copper (LSN-Cu) catalyst.
• Characterization of catalyst properties, including defect sites and nitrogen integration.
• Electrochemical reduction experiments using LSN-Cu electrodes in a membrane electrode assembly.

Main Results:

• LSN-Cu exhibits enhanced *CO coverage and strengthened C-C coupling activity due to low-coordination sites and compressive strain.
• Achieved 54% faradaic efficiency and 29% half-cell energy efficiency for n-propanol formation.
• Demonstrated stable n-propanol electrosynthesis for over 180 hours at 300 mA cm⁻².

Conclusions:

• The LSN-Cu catalyst effectively addresses the challenges in multi-carbon fuel electrocatalysis.
• This work presents a promising pathway for efficient and scalable sustainable fuel production.
• The developed catalyst offers significant potential for carbon recycling and renewable energy storage applications.