Controlled Tip Curvature of CuSiO<sub>3</sub> Promotes C-C Coupling for Efficient CO<sub>2</sub> Electroreduction to C<sub>2</sub> Products.

Wang, Xin; Lai, Longsheng; Zheng, Yimin; Leng, Kangmin; Niu, Xianghong; Fu, Yao · Nano Lett · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Electroreduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to multicarbon products offers a promising strategy to carbon neutrality, yet practical application is hindered by sluggish C-C coupling kinetics and competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). To overcome these challenges, we propose a controllable synthesis method for tailoring the CuSiO<sub>3</sub> tip curvature, which manipulates the local electric field to regulate the C-C coupling barrier and suppress HER, thereby enhancing product selectivity. In particular, the high tip curvature catalyst (HC-CuSiO<sub>3</sub>-1) exhibits a strong tip-enhanced electric field and stable hydrophobicity, achieving a Faradaic efficiency of 96.2% for C<sub>2</sub> products at -0.55 V. Via a variety of <i>in situ</i> techniques and theoretical calculation, the enhanced C<sub>2</sub> selectivity over HC-CuSiO<sub>3</sub>-1 is attributed to the promotion of CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption and activation to form the *CHO intermediate, which facilitates subsequent asymmetric *COCHO coupling. This work provides insight into C-C coupling pathways and guides the rational design of local electric field enhanced electrocatalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> reduction.