Single Crystal Copper and Gold Alloys for the Plasmonically Enhanced CO2 Reduction Reaction

Autor: Albert Adserias, Gary W. Leach
Rok vydání: 2022
Zdroj: ECS Meeting Abstracts. :2293-2293
ISSN: 2151-2043
DOI: 10.1149/ma2022-01552293mtgabs
Popis: Chemical fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) into chemical fuels has raised a lot of interest due to its role in removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere to store them as a potential source of energy. CO2 removal techniques have been widely studied and are of great interest because they can be used synergistically as a low-cost source of carbon to supplement and support the existing chemical synthesis of feedstocks and hydrocarbon fuels. One of the most common approaches to the remediation of atmospheric CO2 is the electrochemical reduction of CO2. We have been studying the formation of copper (Cu) films and its alloys with gold (Au). Metal alloys have been shown to exhibit interesting properties to enhance chemical processes beyond those of their individual components, improving the applications in the plasmonic and catalysis fields. Cu and Au are both excellent plasmonic and catalytic materials that show tunable optical properties, strong absorptions in the visible and near infrared, and catalytic activity. However, the applications of Cu materials alone are limited due to Cu’s chemical instability and tendency to oxidation, which inhibits their plasmonic properties and reduces their catalytic performance. By alloying Cu with Au, we have overcome copper’s chemical instability and improved the catalytic properties due to synergistic effects. As a result of our studies, we have also developed a method to deposit Cu2O single crystal film, a material that exhibits semiconductor properties and opens a new line of opportunities for plasmonic applications. In this poster, we will show an overview of our results and discuss the potential applications to plasmonic electrocatalysis and sensors.
Databáze: OpenAIRE