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High Selectivity for Ethylene from Carbon Dioxide Reduction over Copper Nanocube Electrocatalysts
Author(s) -
Roberts F. Sloan,
Kuhl Kendra P.,
Nilsson Anders
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201412214
Subject(s) - selectivity , copper , ethylene , catalysis , scanning electron microscope , methane , materials science , nanostructure , electrochemistry , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide , chemistry , nanotechnology , carbon monoxide , organic chemistry , electrode , metallurgy , composite material , engineering
Nanostructured surfaces have been shown to greatly enhance the activity and selectivity of many different catalysts. Here we report a nanostructured copper surface that gives high selectivity for ethylene formation from electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction. The nanostructured copper is easily formed in situ during the CO 2 reduction reaction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows the surface to be dominated by cubic structures. Using online electrochemical mass spectrometry (OLEMS), the onset potentials and relative selectivity toward the volatile products (ethylene and methane) were measured for several different copper surfaces and single crystals, relating the cubic shape of the copper surface to the greatly enhanced ethylene selectivity. The ability of the cubic nanostructure to so strongly favor multicarbon product formation from CO 2 reduction, and in particular ethylene over methane, is unique to this surface and is an important step toward developing a catalyst that has exclusive selectivity for multicarbon products.