# Structural properties of Au/Cu2O catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction to C2 products

## TL;DR

This paper explores how gold-decorated copper oxide catalysts can improve the production of multi-carbon products from CO2 electrochemical reduction.

## Contribution

The study introduces a systematic investigation of Au/Cu2O catalyst structures and their dynamic behavior during CO2RR using in situ techniques.

## Key findings

- Catalysts with highly dispersed Au showed the highest Faradaic efficiency for ethylene and ethanol.
- In situ XAS and XPS revealed that Au influences Cu2O reduction and increases cationic Cu species.
- In situ XRD showed structural evolution and Au redispersion during CO2RR.

## Abstract

Improving the selectivity towards multi-carbon products for the electrochemical reduction reaction of CO2 (CO2RR) with Cu-based catalysts remains a significant topic of scientific interest. It is known that using a secondary metal can provide some control over selectivity, with the structure of the bimetallic catalysts playing an important role in product distribution. In this study, we synthesized Au/Cu2O catalysts via a precipitation method followed by galvanic replacement using varying Au concentrations. This approach enabled a systematic investigation of the restructuring of Cu2O phases decorated with highly dispersed Au, Au–Cu alloys, and Au clusters and their impact on the catalytic activity. Among the tested catalysts, the Cu2O catalyst with highly dispersed Au exhibited the highest Faradaic efficiency towards ethylene and ethanol. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and quasi-in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements revealed that the presence of Au influenced the reduction of Cu2O, where the catalyst with highly dispersed Au displayed the highest fraction of cationic Cu species. Furthermore, in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to study the structural evolution of crystalline phases of the catalysts during CO2RR, which suggests that significant restructuring and redispersion of Au takes place. This work highlights the relevance of in situ studies to understand the dynamic interplay between the structure and the catalytic behavior during the reaction.

Structure–activity relationships for CO2 electroreduction with Cu2O catalysts with highly dispersed Au, Au–Cu alloys and Au clusters were investigated using advanced in situ characterization techniques.