02301nas a2200229   4500008004100000022001400041245012500055210006900180260000800249490000700257520147900264653001901743653002201762653002001784653003601804653002301840100001701863700002601880700002401906700001701930856012401947       2024                        eng d  a1439-423500aSize and morphology dependent activity of Cu clusters for CO2 activation and reduction: a first principles investigation0 aSize and morphology dependent activity of Cu clusters for CO2 ac  cDEC0 v253 a<p>
	Various Cu-based materials in diverse forms have been investigated as efficient catalysts for electrochemical reduction of CO2; however, they suffer from issues such as higher over potential and poor selectivity. The activity and selectivity of CO2 electro reduction have been shown to change significantly when the surface morphology (steps, kinks, and edges) of these catalysts is altered. In light of this, size and morphology dependent activity of selected copper clusters, Cun (n=2-20) have been evaluated for the activation and reduction of CO2 molecule. The phase-space of these copper clusters is rich in conformations of distinct morphologies starting from planar, 2D geometries to prolate-shaped geometries and also high-symmetry structures. The binding efficiency and the activation of CO2 are highest for medium sized clusters (n=9-17) with prolate-morphologies as compared to small or larger sized CunCO(2) clusters that are existing mainly as planar (triangular, tetragonal etc.) or highly-symmetric geometries (icosahedron, capped-icosahedron etc.), respectively. The best performing (prolate-shaped) CunCO2 conformations are quite fluxional and also they are thermally stable, as demonstrated by the molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, on these CunCO(2) conformations, the step-by-step hydrogenation pathways of CO2 to produce value-added products like methanol, formic acid, and methane are exceptionally favorable and energy-efficient.</p>
10aCO2 activation10aCO2 hydrogenation10aCopper clusters10aDensity Functional Theory (DFT)10amolecular dynamics1 aAmin, Seerat1 aKrishnamurty, Sailaja1 aDar, Manzoor, Ahmad1 aJoshi, Krati  uhttp://library.ncl.res.in/content/size-and-morphology-dependent-activity-cu-clusters-co2-activation-and-reduction-first03164nas a2200157   4500008004100000022001400041245011300055210006900168260000800237490000600245520256000251100001702811700002602828700002402854856012802878       2025                        eng d  a2398-490200aBoosting the CO2 reduction activity of Cu double-atom catalysts through coordination environment engineering0 aBoosting the CO2 reduction activity of Cu doubleatom catalysts t  cOCT0 v93 a<p>
	Double-atom catalysts (DACs) offer a reasonable and scalable route towards carbon neutrality owing to their efficient catalytic features. However, the challenges associated with the flexibility of their coordination structure usually restrict their full potential as efficient catalysts. Herein, we comprehensively examined the impact of coordination environment regulation on the CO2R activity of Cu2-DACs supported on C, N, or B co-doped graphene using ab initio simulations. We highlighted the marked role of the local coordination sphere of Cu2-DACs in modulating their structural stability and charge transfer characteristics, thereby regulating the adsorption of CO2 and various reaction characteristics. Notably, boron- and carbon-coordinated Cu2 centres (Cu2-BxCy) resulted in remarkably strong CO2 adsorption (-0.65 to -2.31 eV), attributed to their amplified electronic interactions with the CO2 molecule. The weak CO2 binding observed on the carbon-nitrogen- and nitrogen-boron-coordinated Cu2 centres (Cu2-NxCy and Cu2-NxBy) further highlighted the role of the coordination environment in facilitating the versatile binding modes of the key reaction species. The varying CO2 interactions in these systems were further comprehended and supported by a multilevel descriptor () combining both geometric and electronic parameters. This descriptor closely mirrored the DFT results, thereby accentuating its effectiveness as a predictive tool to perfectly model the CO2 interactions on these catalysts. Moreover, the dynamic behaviour in the adsorption modes led to partial breakdown of the conventional linear scaling relations between the key CO2 reduction intermediates (*COOH, *CO, and *HCO). Among the numerous types of investigated electrocatalysts, Cu2-B5C1 emerged as a highly active and selective catalyst for methanol production, with a remarkably low limiting potential of -0.54 V, surpassing the performance of several reported Cu-based systems. Besides, our findings underscored the often-overlooked yet crucial role of explicit solvation, which significantly altered both the potential-determining step and product selectivity. These outcomes emphasized the necessity of including solvation effects in realistic electrochemical modelling. Collectively, this study provides a critical mechanistic insight into better understanding the coordination effect on the CO2R and a robust design strategy for next-generation Cu-based DACs, guiding the development of highly efficient and selective catalysts for CO2 electroreduction.</p>
1 aAmin, Seerat1 aKrishnamurty, Sailaja1 aDar, Manzoor, Ahmad  uhttp://library.ncl.res.in/content/boosting-co2-reduction-activity-cu-double-atom-catalysts-through-coordination-environment