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Potential Link between Cu Surface and Selective CO 2 Electroreduction: Perspective on Future Electrocatalyst Designs
Author(s) -
Tomboc Gracita M.,
Choi Songa,
Kwon Taehyun,
Hwang Yun Jeong,
Lee Kwangyeol
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201908398
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , materials science , catalysis , electrochemistry , metal , transition metal , copper , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , inorganic chemistry , electrode , metallurgy , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 RR) product distribution has been identified to be dependent on various surface factors, including the Cu facet, morphology, chemical states, doping, etc., which can alter the binding strength of key intermediates such as *CO and *OCCO during reduction. Therefore, in‐depth knowledge of the Cu catalyst surface and identification of the active species under reaction conditions aid in designing efficient Cu‐based electrocatalysts. This progress report categorizes various Cu‐based electrocatalysts into four main groups, namely metallic Cu, Cu alloys, Cu compounds (Cu + non‐metal), and supported Cu‐based catalysts (Cu supported by carbon, metal oxides, or polymers). The detailed mechanisms for the selective CO 2 RR are presented, followed by recent relevant developments on the synthetic procedures for preparing Cu and Cu‐based nanoparticles. Herein, the potential link between the Cu surface and CO 2 RR performance is highlighted, especially in terms of the chemical states, but other significant factors such as defective sites and roughened morphology of catalysts are equally considered during the discussion of current studies of CO 2 RR with Cu‐based electrocatalysts to fully understand the origin of the significant enhancement toward C 2 formation. This report concludes by providing suggestions for future designs of highly selective and stable Cu‐based electrocatalysts for CO 2 RR.