In-tandem electrocatalysis via Ni single atoms and reconstructed Cu single clusters for CO<sub>2</sub>-to-acetone reduction.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42481520.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-75763-6.
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Abstract
The electrochemical conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> into multi-carbon (C<sub>2+</sub>) products offers a promising route toward sustainable energy and carbon neutrality, but is hindered by inefficient C-C coupling, especially for C<sub>3</sub> products. Here we show a Ni single atom/Cu single cluster catalyst (Ni SAC/Cu SCC) that achieves a total Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 84.1% for C<sub>2+</sub> products (ethanol, ethylene glycol, and acetone) in a flow cell. The FE for acetone (a C<sub>3</sub> product) reaches 48.8%. The high acetone selectivity on Ni SAC/Cu SCC is attributed to the synergistic interplay among in-tandem catalysis, the confinement effect, and in situ-formed Cu<sup>0</sup>/Cu<sup>+</sup> sites. Mechanistically, CO spills over from Ni sites to adjacent Cu sites and is confined within the hierarchical pore structure of the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) support, resulting in high local CO coverage on Cu sites. Concurrently, the in situ-formed Cu<sup>0</sup>/Cu<sup>+</sup> sites enhance adsorption of the key *CO intermediate. Together, this synergy lowers the energy barriers for C-C coupling. This work provides insights into the electrosynthesis of multi-carbon products.