We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Copper adparticle enabled selective electrosynthesis of n-propanol.
- Authors
Li, Jun; Che, Fanglin; Pang, Yuanjie; Zou, Chengqin; Howe, Jane Y.; Burdyny, Thomas; Edwards, Jonathan P.; Wang, Yuhang; Li, Fengwang; Wang, Ziyun; De Luna, Phil; Dinh, Cao-Thang; Zhuang, Tao-Tao; Saidaminov, Makhsud I.; Cheng, Shaobo; Wu, Tianpin; Finfrock, Y. Zou; Ma, Lu; Hsieh, Shang-Hsien; Liu, Yi-Sheng
- 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.
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2018, Vol 9, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-018-07032-0