Tuesday publication post! 📖 In this newest publication, the Poseidon AX system was used for operando electrochemical liquid-cell electron microscopy to uncover how Cu nanocatalysts dynamically reconstruct during the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR). Using EC-STEM, synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy, operando 4D-STEM, Raman spectroscopy, and DFT calculations, the authors reveal the structural evolution of Cu nanocubes under reaction conditions.
Key highlights:
🔬 Complete transformation from (100)-oriented Cu@Cu₂O nanocubes to polycrystalline metallic Cu nanograins under CO₂RR
⚡ Size- and potential-dependent reconstruction pathways
🤖 Machine learning-assisted 4D-STEM distinguishing crystalline domains in large grains vs. amorphous character in smaller, fast-evolving ones
🌫️ Evidence that CO drives Cu atom ejection, forming nanoclusters and highly mobile Cu–CO species
🧠 Multimodal operando insight into the driving forces behind catalyst (de)activation
This work demonstrates how advanced liquid-cell electron microscopy combined with spectroscopy and theory enables real-time understanding of nanocatalyst reconstruction.
Want to read the entire work? Find it here!
https://www.doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01359-w
