Microenvironment Matters: Copper-Carbon Composites Enable a Highly Efficient Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reaction to C₂ Products.

ABSTRACT: Copper is the catalyst widely used to produce multicarbon products for the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR). The surrounding microenvironment of copper plays a crucial role in determining its catalytic activity and selectivity. In this study, we compare three copper electrocatalysts with different microenvironments: pure metallic copper, a copper metal-organic framework (MOF), and a MOF-derived copper-carbon composite. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy reveal that copper in the copper-carbon composite remains in a metallic state, encapsulated by a carbon matrix. The composite catalyst achieves a Faradaic efficiency of 75.6% for C₂ products, including ethylene and ethanol, at a current densi

SUBMITTER: Shen YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11826886 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature