Dynamically Stabilizing Oxygen Atoms in Silver Catalyst for Highly Selective and Durable CO₂ Reduction Reaction

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis
• Materials Science

Background:

• Oxide derived catalysts show promise for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR).
• Residue oxygen atoms are crucial for catalyst performance but are thermodynamically unstable under reaction conditions.
• Instability hinders practical application of these catalysts in continuous electrolysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for dynamically stabilizing residue oxygen atoms in oxide derived catalysts.
• To improve the stability of oxide derived catalysts during electrochemical CO2RR.
• To maintain high catalytic activity and selectivity while enhancing operational stability.

Main Methods:

• Development of a pulsed-bias technique.
• Application of the pulsed-bias technique to oxide derived catalysts during electrochemical CO2RR.
• Evaluation of catalyst stability, activity, and selectivity under continuous electrolysis.

Main Results:

• The pulsed-bias technique successfully stabilized residue oxygen atoms in the oxide derived catalyst.
• The catalyst under pulsed bias exhibited significantly enhanced stability during continuous electrochemical CO2RR.
• Excellent catalytic activity and selectivity were maintained with the stabilized catalyst.

Conclusions:

• The pulsed-bias technique is an effective strategy for stabilizing oxide derived catalysts.
• This approach overcomes the thermodynamic instability of residue oxygen atoms, enabling practical applications.
• The stabilized catalysts offer a promising solution for efficient electrochemical CO2RR.