Solid Solution In Situ-Reconstructed Mg-Cu2O/Cu Heterointerface for CO2 Reduction to C2+ Alcohols in Neutral and Acidic Media

  • Jian Cai
  • , Haoyang Li
  • , Ting Wang
  • , Yuchen Wang
  • , Kai Jie Chen
  • , Fuping Pan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Electrochemical CO2 reduction presents a sustainable route for producing value-added liquid C2+ alcohols. Using neutral and acidic media enables high CO2 utilization, but suffers low C2+ alcohols selectivity and production rate, due to high energy barrier of C─C coupling and competing C2H4 pathway on conventional Cu catalysts. Herein, we report porous Mg-stabilized Cu2O/metallic Cu (Mg-Cu2O/Cu) heterointerface, in situ reconstructed from block copolymer-derived mesoporous MgCuO solid solution under operating CO2 reduction conditions, that realizes extraordinary neutral and acidic CO2-to-C2+ alcohols performance. In situ spectroscopic and computational investigations disclose that Mg-Cu2O/Cu heterointerface facilitates *CO hydrogenation and triggers energy-favorable asymmetric *CO─CHO coupling, distinctive to energy-intensive symmetric *CO─CO dimerization catalyzed by bare CuO-derived Cu surface. More importantly, the heterostructure modulates bonding strength of key C2+ intermediate with enhanced O─C yet weakened Cu─O bonds, switching selectivity from C2H4 on Cu to C2+ alcohols on Mg-Cu2O/Cu. Along with porous architecture affording abundant accessible sites, we achieve remarkable Faradaic efficiencies of 70.4% at an industrial current density of 448.7 mA cm−2 in neutral electrolyte and 61.4% at 316.1 mA cm−2 in acid for C2+ alcohols, placing among the highest levels reported hitherto. This work provides a general catalyst design framework for steering reaction pathways in practical CO2 electrolysis.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAngewandte Chemie - International Edition
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2026

Keywords

  • C alcohols
  • catalytic heterointerface
  • CO reduction
  • C─C coupling
  • solid solution

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