CO<sub>2</sub> reduction to acetate in mixtures of ultrasmall (Cu) <sub><i>n</i></sub> ,(Ag) <sub><i>m</i></sub> bimetallic nanoparticles.

Wang, Ying; Wang, Degao; Dares, Christopher J; Marquard, Seth L; Sheridan, Matthew V; Meyer, Thomas J · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 2018

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Monodispersed mixtures of 6-nm Cu and Ag nanoparticles were prepared by electrochemical reduction on electrochemically polymerized <i>poly</i>-Fe(vbpy)<sub>3</sub>(PF<sub>6</sub>)<sub>2</sub> film electrodes on glassy carbon. Conversion of the complex to <i>poly</i>-Fe(vbpy)<sub>2</sub>(CN)<sub>2</sub> followed by surface binding of salts of the cations and electrochemical reduction gave a mixture of chemically distinct clusters on the surface, (Cu) <sub><i>m</i></sub> ,(Ag) <sub><i>n</i></sub> |polymer|glassy carbon electrode (GCE), as shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. A (Cu)<sub>2</sub>,(Ag)<sub>3</sub>|(80-monolayer-<i>poly</i>-Fe(vbpy)<sub>3</sub><sup>2+</sup>|GCE electrode at -1.33 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in 0.5 M KHCO<sub>3</sub>, with 8 ppm added benzotriazole (BTA) at 0 °C, gave acetate with a faradaic efficiency of 21.2%.