Copper adparticle enabled selective electrosynthesis of n-propanol. Issue 1 (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Jun; Che, Fanglin; Pang, Yuanjie; Zou, Chengqin; Howe, Jane; Burdyny, Thomas; Edwards, Jonathan; Wang, Yuhang; Li, Fengwang; Wang, Ziyun; De Luna, Phil; Dinh, Cao-Thang; Zhuang, Tao-Tao; Saidaminov, Makhsud; Cheng, Shaobo; Wu, Tianpin; Finfrock, Y.; Ma, Lu; Hsieh, Shang-Hsien; Liu, Yi-Sheng; Botton, Gianluigi; Pong, Way-Faung; Du, Xiwen; Guo, Jinghua; Sham, Tsun-Kong; Sargent, Edward; Sinton, David
• Is Part Of: Nature communications. Volume 9:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 9
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: Biology -- Periodicals; Physical sciences -- Periodicals; 505
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07032-0
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2041-1723

Abstract

Abstract The electrochemical reduction of carbon monoxide is a promising approach for the renewable production of carbon-based fuels and chemicals. Copper shows activity toward multi-carbon products from CO reduction, with reaction selectivity favoring two-carbon products; however, efficient conversion of CO to higher carbon products such as n-propanol, a liquid fuel, has yet to be achieved. We hypothesize that copper adparticles, possessing a high density of under-coordinated atoms, could serve as preferential sites for n-propanol formation. Density functional theory calculations suggest that copper adparticles increase CO binding energy and stabilize two-carbon intermediates, facilitating coupling between adsorbed *CO and two-carbon intermediates to form three-carbon products. We form adparticle-covered catalysts in-situ by mediating catalyst growth with strong CO chemisorption. The new catalysts exhibit an n-propanol Faradaic efficiency of 23% from CO reduction at an n-propanol partial current density of 11 mA cm−2 . Upgrading wasted carbon emissions to high-value, multi-carbon products provides an economic route to reduce carbon dioxide levels, but such conversions have proven challenging. Here, authors explore copper adparticles as highly active surfaces that convert CO to n-propanol with high selectivities.