Visualizing active species in CO2 electroreduction

Abstract

Understanding the evolution of Cu-based catalysts during electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) remains challenging. The study by Lim et al. in Joule devises an operando scanning transmission X-ray microscopy to investigate the dynamic phase transformations of Cu catalysts and reveals that Cu2+ species play a crucial role in enhancing C–C coupling. The findings inform the authors of an approach to dynamically redirect the oxidation state of Cu, achieving, as a result, higher selectivity and efficiency for ECR catalysis.