Selective increase in CO 2 electroreduction activity at grain-boundary surface terminations
Abstract
Bulk defects in a metal, such as grain boundaries, can create regions of increased strain at its surface that could affect its catalytic activity. Mariano et al. studied the electroreduction of CO 2 to CO on polycrystalline gold films, a reaction that competes with H 2 evolution. By annealing the films to create larger grains, they could change the types and distribution of grain boundaries at the surface. Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy revealed that the dislocation density correlated with CO 2 electroreduction activity, but such defects had no effect on H 2 evolution.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.aao3691
Entities
People
- Henry S. White
- Kim McKelvey
- Matthew Kanan
- Ruperto G Mariano
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- National Science Foundation
- Stanford University
- University of Utah