Tuesday publication update! 📖 In this newest publication focusing on electrocatalysis in the microscope, researchers looked at copper bimetallic catalysts during CO2 electroreduction! Using in situ liquid-phase TEM with Poseidon AX, researchers Sungin Kim and Jungwon Park uncovered a general principle behind how Cu-based bimetallic catalysts evolve during the electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR).
What did they see?
✅ Reconstruction occurs through selective dissolution and redeposition
✅ The degree of restructuring depends on the miscibility of Cu with a secondary metal (Ag, Fe, Zn, or Pd)
✅ These changes directly influence product selectivity, shifting the balance between C1 and C2 products like ethylene and ethanol
This research shows that catalyst design is not just about the starting material, it is about predicting and controlling how the catalyst will evolve in real electrochemical environments. Using liquid phase microscopy including electrochemistry, it is now possible to observe these reconstructions in action.
Want to read the entire work? Find it here!
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-025-01368-9
