(Keynote) Deciphering Electrocatalytic Reactions with Theory and Computation: The Case of CO2 Reduction

Abstract

The interfacial region between metal surface and aqueous electrolyte is of central importance for electrochemical reactions. The need to understand the properties of this electrochemical double layer (EDL) region drives extensive research.1,2 A foremost goal of research in electrocatalysis is the development of a theoretical-computational framework. The fundamental task for such a framework is to unravel the complex interplay of electronic structure effects of the catalyst material, potential-induced variations of the chemisorption state, local reaction conditions on the electrolyte side, and electrochemical kinetics of reactions of interest. A recently developed theoretical approach revealed the non-monotonic charging behaviour of a Pt electrode3 and it was thereafter used to decipher the oxygen reduction reaction.4 In the present work, we adapt this approach to study how the local reaction environment dictates the mechanism and kinetics of reduction to CO at an Ag electrode. Our hierarchical model accounts for the multistep reaction kinetics of surface reactions, local chemical equilibria (involving CO2, HCO3 -, CO3 2-, OH-, H+), the specific surface charging state at a given electrode potential, solvent polarization and ion density variations, and reactant/product transport. It integrates interface and pore-level models to account for this interplay. The combined approach rationalizes the impact of the considered effects on the kinetics of the reaction, manifested experimentally in changes of the effective Tafel slope as a function of electrode potential. Lateral interactions between chemisorbed species are seen to contribute to the decrease of the CO current density at high electrode potentials, in addition to mass transport effects, surface charging effects and pH increase. We will conclude with a discussion of the parameters that allow tuning the local reaction environment and thus the electrocatalytic activity and selectivity of the electrocatalyst. 1O.M. Magnussen and A. Gross, Toward an Atomic-Scale Understanding of Electrochemical Interface Structure and Dynamics, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 141, 4777–4790 (2019). 2M.J. Eslamibidgoli and M.H. Eikerling, Approaching the Self-consistency Challenge of Electrocatalysis with Theory and Computation, Current Opinion in Electrochemistry 9, 189-197 (2018). 3J. Huang, A. Malek, J. Zhang and M.H. Eikerling, Non-monotonic Surface Charging Behavior of Platinum: A Paradigm Change, J. Phys. Chem. C 120, 13587-13595 (2016). 4J. Huang, J. Zhang and M. Eikerling, Unifying Theoretical Framework for Deciphering the Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Platinum, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 20, 11776-11786 (2018).