Tuning the selectivity of bimetallic Cu electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction using atomic layer deposition

Si Young Lee; Julia D. Lenef; Daniel O. Delgado Cornejo; Alondra M. Ortiz-Ortiz; Tao Ma; Timothy S. Arthur; Charles A. Roberts; Neil P. Dasgupta

doi:10.1039/D4CC04820B

Tuning the selectivity of bimetallic Cu electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction using atomic layer deposition†

Si Young Lee,

‡^a Julia D. Lenef,‡^b Daniel O. Delgado Cornejo,^b Alondra M. Ortiz-Ortiz,^a Tao Ma,

^c Timothy S. Arthur,

^d Charles A. Roberts

*^d and Neil P. Dasgupta

*^ab

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
E-mail: ndasupt@umich.edu

^b Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

^c Michigan Center for Materials Characterization, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

^d Toyota Research Institute of North America, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
E-mail: charles.roberts@toyota.com

Abstract

Cu–Zn bimetallic catalysts were synthesized on 3-D gas diffusion electrodes using atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. Electrochemical CO₂ reduction was evaluated, and a significant variation in the product selectivity was observed compared to unmodified Cu catalysts. As low as a single ALD cycle of ZnO resulted in a reduction of C₂H₄ production and shift towards CO selectivity, which is attributed to changes in the chemical state of the surface. Our findings demonstrate the impact of atomically-precise surface modifications on electrocatalyst selectivity.

This article is part of the themed collection: ChemComm 60th Anniversary Collection

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CC04820B
Article type: Communication
Submitted: 17 Sep 2024
Accepted: 25 Nov 2024
First published: 17 Dec 2024
This article is Open Access

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Chem. Commun., 2025,61, 965-968

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Tuning the selectivity of bimetallic Cu electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction using atomic layer deposition

S. Y. Lee, J. D. Lenef, D. O. Delgado Cornejo, A. M. Ortiz-Ortiz, T. Ma, T. S. Arthur, C. A. Roberts and N. P. Dasgupta, Chem. Commun., 2025, 61, 965 DOI: 10.1039/D4CC04820B

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