High-efficiency C<sub>3</sub> electrosynthesis on a lattice-strain-stabilized nitrogen-doped Cu surface.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39152122.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-51478-4 and PMC identifier 11329774.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
The synthesis of multi-carbon (C<sub>2+</sub>) fuels via electrocatalytic reduction of CO, H<sub>2</sub>O using renewable electricity, represents a significant stride in sustainable energy storage and carbon recycling. The foremost challenge in this field is the production of extended-chain carbon compounds (C<sub>n</sub>, n ≥ 3), wherein elevated <sup>*</sup>CO coverage (θ<sub>co</sub>) and its subsequent multiple-step coupling are both critical. Notwithstanding, there exists a "seesaw" dynamic between intensifying <sup>*</sup>CO adsorption to augment θ<sub>co</sub> and surmounting the C-C coupling barrier, which have not been simultaneously realized within a singular catalyst yet. Here, we introduce a facilely synthesized lattice-strain-stabilized nitrogen-doped Cu (LSN-Cu) with abundant defect sites and robust nitrogen integration. The low-coordination sites enhance θ<sub>co</sub> and concurrently, the compressive strain substantially fortifies nitrogen dopants on the catalyst surface, promoting C-C coupling activity. The n-propanol formation on the LSN-Cu electrode exhibits a 54% faradaic efficiency and a 29% half-cell energy efficiency. Moreover, within a membrane electrode assembly setup, a stable n-propanol electrosynthesis over 180 h at a total current density of 300 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> is obtained.