Copper adparticle enabled selective electrosynthesis of n-propanol

Jun Li, Fanglin Che, Yuanjie Pang, Chengqin Zou, Jane Y. Howe, Thomas Burdyny, Jonathan P. Edwards, Yuhang Wang, Fengwang Li, Ziyun Wang, Phil De Luna, Cao-Thang Dinh, Tao-Tao Zhuang, Makhsud I. Saidaminov, Shaobo Cheng, Tianpin Wu, Y. Zou Finfrock, Lu Ma, Shang-Hsien Hsieh, Yi-Sheng Liu, Gianluigi A. Botton, Way-Faung Pong, Xiwen Du, Jinghua Guo, Tsun-Kong Sham, Edward H. Sargent () and David Sinton ()
Additional contact information
Jun Li: University of Toronto
Fanglin Che: University of Toronto
Yuanjie Pang: University of Toronto
Chengqin Zou: University of Toronto
Jane Y. Howe: Hitachi High Technologies America, Inc.
Thomas Burdyny: University of Toronto
Jonathan P. Edwards: University of Toronto
Yuhang Wang: University of Toronto
Fengwang Li: University of Toronto
Ziyun Wang: University of Toronto
Phil De Luna: University of Toronto
Cao-Thang Dinh: University of Toronto
Tao-Tao Zhuang: University of Toronto
Makhsud I. Saidaminov: University of Toronto
Shaobo Cheng: McMaster University
Tianpin Wu: Argonne National Laboratory
Y. Zou Finfrock: Argonne National Laboratory
Lu Ma: Argonne National Laboratory
Shang-Hsien Hsieh: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Yi-Sheng Liu: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Gianluigi A. Botton: McMaster University
Way-Faung Pong: Tamkang University
Xiwen Du: Tianjin University
Jinghua Guo: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Tsun-Kong Sham: University of Western Ontario
Edward H. Sargent: University of Toronto
David Sinton: University of Toronto

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-9

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.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07032-0

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