Tailoring the CO and H Coverage for Selective CO Electroreduction to CH or CH.

In the electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR), the coverages of CO and H intermediates on a catalyst surface are critical for the selective generation of C or C products. In this work, we have synthesized several CuZnMn ternary alloy electrocatalysts, including CuZnMn, CuZnMn, and CuZnMn, by varying the doping compositions of Zn and Mn, which are efficient in binding CO and H adsorbates in the CO electroreduction process, respectively. The increase of H coverage allows to promotion of the CH and H formation, while the increase of the CO coverage facilitates the production of CH and CO. As a result, the CuZnMn catalyst presented a high CO-to-CH partial current density (-418 ± 22 mA cm) with a Faradaic efficiency of 55 ± 2.8%, while the CuZnMn catalyst exhibited a CO-to-CH partial current density (-440 ± 41 mA cm) with a Faradaic efficiency of 58 ± 4.5%. The study suggests a useful strategy for rational design and fabrication of Cu electrocatalysts with different doping for tailoring the reduction products.