Operando evidence of Cu + stabilization via a single-atom modifier for CO 2 electroreduction

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2020-12, Vol.8 (48), p.25970-25977
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wei, He, Peng, Wang, Chao, Ding, Tao, Chen, Tao, Liu, Xiaokang, Cao, Linlin, Huang, Tianming, Shen, Xinyi, Usoltsev, Oleg A., Bugaev, Aram L., Lin, Yue, Yao, Tao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/D0TA08369K

Oxide-derived Cu materials are most commonly used as electrocatalysts for the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). Previous studies have proved that Cu + and residual subsurface oxygen species can enhance the CO 2 RR activity; however the stable presence of Cu + remains a subject of debate. Here, we design a strategy of single-atom Sn anchored on Cu 2 O nanosheets to stabilize the key Cu + species for electroreduction of CO 2 . Operando synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy and statistics analysis distinguish the active Cu + and reduced Cu + species, and reveal that the constructed Sn–O–Cu sites with charge transfer can significantly enhance the resistance of copper oxides to reduction. Operando infrared spectroscopy suggests that the survival of Cu + species on the catalyst surface promotes the adsorption of *CO during the CO 2 RR, leading to the obvious improvement of CO 2 -to-CO conversion. Our results demonstrate the role of a single-atom-modifier in both stabilizing Cu + species and enhancing the CO 2 RR selectivity of oxide-derived Cu catalysts.