Catalytic Particle Size Effects in the Catalytic CO2 Electroreduction on Cu

Abstract

A combined experimental and computational study of catalytic particle size effects during CO2 electroreduction on size-controlled Cu nanoparticles is presented. Cu nanoparticle catalysts in the 2 – 15 nm mean size range were prepared, and their catalytic activity and selectivity during CO2 electroreduction were analyzed and compared to bulk Cu electrode. An increase in the catalytic activity as well as the H2 and CO selectivity was observed with decreasing Cu particle size, in particular for particles below around 2 nm. Hydrocarbon (methane and ethylene) selectivity was increasingly suppressed with smaller particle size. A spherical Cu particle model was used to analyze the size dependence of the surface atomic coordination, which was correlated to experimental results.