Metal-Oxide Interfaces for Selective Electrochemical C-C Coupling Reactions

Chan Woo Lee, Seung Jae Shin, Hyejin Jung, Dang Le Tri Nguyen, Si Young Lee, Woong Hee Lee, Da Hye Won, Min Gyu Kim, Hyung Suk Oh, Taehwan Jang, Hyungjun Kim, Byoung Koun Min, Yun Jeong Hwang

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    81 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Metal-oxide interfaces provide a new opportunity to improve catalytic activity based on electronic and chemical interactions at the interface. Constructing a high density of interfaces is essential in maximizing synergistic interactions. Here, we demonstrate that Cu-ceria interfaces made by sintering nanocrystals facilitate C-C coupling reactions in electrochemical reduction of CO2. The Cu/ceria catalyst enhances the selectivity of ethylene and ethanol production with the suppression of H2 evolution in comparison with Cu catalysts. The intrinsic activity for ethylene production is enhanced by decreasing the atomic ratio of Cu/Ce, revealing the Cu atoms near ceria are an active site for C-C coupling reactions. The ceria is proposed to weaken the hydrogen binding energy of adjacent Cu sites and stabilize an OCCO intermediate via an additional chemical interaction with an oxygen atom of the OCCO. This work offers new insights into the role of the metal-oxide interface in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to high-value chemicals.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2241-2248
    Number of pages8
    JournalACS Energy Letters
    Volume4
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019 Sept 13

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) institutional program and the YU-KIST convergence program, and it was also supported by “Next Generation Carbon Upcycling Project” (Project No. 2017M1A2A2046713) through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Republic of Korea. The authors thank the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory for providing the synchrotron radiation sources at the 10C beamline. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2016R1A5A1012966 and No. 2019R1A2C2005521).

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) institutional program and the YU-KIST convergence program, and it was also supported by "Next Generation Carbon Upcycling Project" (Project No. 2017M1A2A2046713) through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Republic of Korea. The authors thank the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory for providing the synchrotron radiation sources at the 10C beamline. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2016R1A5A1012966 and No. 2019R1A2C2005521).

    Publisher Copyright:
    Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society.

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Chemistry (miscellaneous)
    • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
    • Fuel Technology
    • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
    • Materials Chemistry

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