Unraveling the cooperative mechanisms in ultralow copper-loaded WC@NGC for enhanced CO2 electroreduction to acetic acid

TitleUnraveling the cooperative mechanisms in ultralow copper-loaded WC@NGC for enhanced CO2 electroreduction to acetic acid
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2024
AuthorsBagchi, D, Riyaz, M, Raj, J, Roy, S, Singh, AKumar, Cherevotan, A, Vinod, CP, Peter, SC
JournalChemistry of Materials
Volume36
Issue7
Pagination3464-3476
Date PublishedMAR
Type of ArticleArticle
ISSN0897-4756
Abstract

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO(2)RR) has been explored on tungsten carbide (WC) nanoparticles embedded on N-doped graphitic carbon (NGC), demonstrating excellent activity toward the formation of acetic acid at an extremely lower potential. The activity has been further enhanced by loading ultralow copper sites into the catalyst system, exhibiting 80.02% Faradaic efficiency (FE) toward acetic acid at an applied potential of -0.3 V (vs RHE). Potential-dependent in situ infrared (IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, ex situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies, and computational analysis confirm that synergy between uniformly dispersed Cu atoms and WC lattice plays a crucial role in the formation of acetic acid with high FE at a lower potential. It has been observed that the W atom of WC strongly chemisorbs CO2 with a significant change in the C-O bond length and the O-C-O bond angle, in contrast to weaker adsorption on Cu-based catalyst surfaces. The presence of a Cu site enhances the adsorption of CO2, thereby increasing the possibility of C-C coupling kinetically. Most importantly, hydrogen evolution predominates on the catalyst's surface at higher applied potentials (-0.5 to -1.1 V vs RHE), elucidating the mechanism underlying enhanced charge transfer between copper and WC, a phenomenon ascertained through in situ IR spectroscopy and ex situ XPS analysis

DOI10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c00405
Type of Journal (Indian or Foreign)

Foreign

Impact Factor (IF)

8.6

Divison category: 
Catalysis and Inorganic Chemistry
Database: 
Web of Science (WoS)

Add new comment