Revealing the CO Coverage-Driven C–C Coupling Mechanism for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction on Cu₂O Nanocubes <i>via Operando</i> Raman Spectroscopy

Abstract

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂RR) is an attractive route to close the carbon cycle and potentially turn CO₂ into valuable chemicals and fuels. However, the highly selective generation of multicarbon products remains a challenge, suffering from poor mechanistic understanding. Herein, we used <i>operando</i> Raman spectroscopy to track the potential-dependent reduction of Cu₂O nanocubes and the surface coverage of reaction intermediates. In particular, we discovered that the potential-dependent intensity ratio of the Cu-CO stretching band to the CO rotation band follows a volcano trend similar to the CO₂RR Faradaic efficiency for multicarbon products. By combining <i>operando</i> spectroscopic insights with Density Functional Theory, we proved that this ratio is determined by the CO coverage and that a direct correlation exists between the potential-dependent CO coverage, the preferred C-C coupling configuration, and the selectivity to C₂₊ products. Thus, <i>operando</i> Raman spectroscopy can serve as an effective method to quantify the coverage of surface intermediates during an electrocatalytic reaction.