Subsurface oxide plays a critical role in CO activation by Cu(111) surfaces to form chemisorbed CO, the first step in reduction of CO.

A national priority is to convert CO into high-value chemical products such as liquid fuels. Because current electrocatalysts are not adequate, we aim to discover new catalysts by obtaining a detailed understanding of the initial steps of CO electroreduction on copper surfaces, the best current catalysts. Using ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy interpreted with quantum mechanical prediction of the structures and free energies, we show that the presence of a thin suboxide structure below the copper surface is essential to bind the CO in the physisorbed configuration at 298 K, and we show that this suboxide is essential for converting to the chemisorbed CO in the presence of water as the first step toward CO reduction products such as formate and CO. This optimum suboxide leads to both neutral and charged Cu surface sites, providing fresh insights into how to design improved carbon dioxide reduction catalysts.