Volume 136, Issue 1 e202316264
Forschungsartikel

Effect of Feature Shape and Dimension of a Confinement Geometry on Selectivity of Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Yesol Kim

Yesol Kim

KAIST-UCB-VNU Global Climate Change Research Center, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (BK-21 plus), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea

Materials and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

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Dr. Geun-Tae Yun

Dr. Geun-Tae Yun

KAIST-UCB-VNU Global Climate Change Research Center, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (BK-21 plus), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea

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Minki Kim

Minki Kim

KAIST-UCB-VNU Global Climate Change Research Center, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (BK-21 plus), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea

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Aqil Jamal

Aqil Jamal

Research and Development Center, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, 31311 Saudi Arabia

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Dr. Issam Gereige

Dr. Issam Gereige

Research and Development Center, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, 31311 Saudi Arabia

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Prof. Dr. Joel W. Ager

Prof. Dr. Joel W. Ager

Materials and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

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Dr. Woo-Bin Jung

Corresponding Author

Dr. Woo-Bin Jung

John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

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Prof. Hee-Tae Jung

Corresponding Author

Prof. Hee-Tae Jung

KAIST-UCB-VNU Global Climate Change Research Center, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (BK-21 plus), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea

KAIST Institute for Nanocentury, 291 Daehak-ro Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea

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First published: 20 November 2023
Citations: 3

Abstract

The local confinement effect, which can generate a high concentration of hydroxide ions and reaction intermediates near the catalyst surface, is an important strategy for converting CO2 into multi-carbon products in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. Therefore, understanding how the shape and dimension of the confinement geometry affect the product selectivity is crucial. In this study, we report for the first time the effect of the shape (degree of confinement) and dimension of the confined space on the product selectivity without changing the intrinsic property of Cu. We demonstrate that geometry influences the outcomes of products, such as CH4, C2H4, and EtOH, in different ways: the selectivity of CH4 and EtOH is affected by shape, while the selectivity of C2H4 is influenced by dimension of geometry predominantly. These phenomena are demonstrated, both experimentally and through simulation, to be induced by the local confinement effect within the confined structure. Our geometry model could serve as basis for designing the confined structures tailored for the production of specific products.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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