pH‐Controlled Catalyst Reconstruction Switches CO2 Reduction Pathways Between Methane and Ethylene.

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Title: pH‐Controlled Catalyst Reconstruction Switches CO2 Reduction Pathways Between Methane and Ethylene.
Authors: Li, Yawen1 (AUTHOR), Zhu, Zifan1 (AUTHOR), Yu, Chuning1 (AUTHOR), Li, Jianhui2 (AUTHOR), Zhang, Lizhong3 (AUTHOR), Song, Yang4 (AUTHOR) songyang.ripp@sinopec.com, Alodhayb, Abdullah N.5 (AUTHOR), Yi, Xiaodong2 (AUTHOR) xdyi@xmu.edu.cn, Chen, Zhou1 (AUTHOR) zhouchen@xmu.edu.cn
Source: ChemCatChem. Jun2026, Vol. 18 Issue 11, p1-9. 9p.
Subjects: Carbon dioxide reduction, Catalyst selectivity, Hydrogen-ion concentration, Copper catalysts, Catalyst structure, Methane, Electrochemical analysis, Ethylene industry
Abstract: Controlling product selectivity in electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) on Cu‐based catalysts remains a major challenge due to the complex interplay between catalyst structure and local reaction environment. Herein, we report a pH‐controlled reconstruction strategy to regulate catalyst morphology and electronic structure, enabling selective CO2RR pathways toward either methane or ethylene. A maleic acid copper (MHCu) precursor is electrochemically reduced under different pH conditions, which modulates the Ostwald ripening process and results in Cu/CuxO catalysts with distinct particle sizes and surface roughness. Under acidic conditions, accelerated ripening produces larger and smoother particles, favoring CH4 formation with a Faradaic efficiency of up to 60.5%. In contrast, suppressed ripening under neutral and alkaline conditions generates roughened nanostructures that promote C–C coupling, delivering C2+ products with Faradaic efficiencies exceeding 50% and a maximum C2H4 selectivity of 34.0%. Notably, the product selectivity can be effectively switched between CH4 and C2H4, with CH4 reaching a Faradaic efficiency of 60.5% and the C2H4/CH4 ratio increasing up to 10.0 under optimized conditions. Electrochemical and spectroscopic analyses reveal that the enhanced C2+ production originates from the combined effects of increased surface roughness and optimized Cu valence states, which facilitate *CO accumulation and subsequent C–C coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of ChemCatChem is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: pH‐Controlled Catalyst Reconstruction Switches CO<subscript>2</subscript> Reduction Pathways Between Methane and Ethylene.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Yawen%22">Li, Yawen</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhu%2C+Zifan%22">Zhu, Zifan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yu%2C+Chuning%22">Yu, Chuning</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Jianhui%22">Li, Jianhui</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Lizhong%22">Zhang, Lizhong</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Song%2C+Yang%22">Song, Yang</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> songyang.ripp@sinopec.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alodhayb%2C+Abdullah+N%2E%22">Alodhayb, Abdullah N.</searchLink><relatesTo>5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yi%2C+Xiaodong%22">Yi, Xiaodong</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> xdyi@xmu.edu.cn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Zhou%22">Chen, Zhou</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> zhouchen@xmu.edu.cn</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22ChemCatChem%22">ChemCatChem</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 18 Issue 11, p1-9. 9p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Carbon+dioxide+reduction%22">Carbon dioxide reduction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Catalyst+selectivity%22">Catalyst selectivity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hydrogen-ion+concentration%22">Hydrogen-ion concentration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Copper+catalysts%22">Copper catalysts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Catalyst+structure%22">Catalyst structure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Methane%22">Methane</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electrochemical+analysis%22">Electrochemical analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethylene+industry%22">Ethylene industry</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Controlling product selectivity in electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) on Cu‐based catalysts remains a major challenge due to the complex interplay between catalyst structure and local reaction environment. Herein, we report a pH‐controlled reconstruction strategy to regulate catalyst morphology and electronic structure, enabling selective CO2RR pathways toward either methane or ethylene. A maleic acid copper (MHCu) precursor is electrochemically reduced under different pH conditions, which modulates the Ostwald ripening process and results in Cu/CuxO catalysts with distinct particle sizes and surface roughness. Under acidic conditions, accelerated ripening produces larger and smoother particles, favoring CH4 formation with a Faradaic efficiency of up to 60.5%. In contrast, suppressed ripening under neutral and alkaline conditions generates roughened nanostructures that promote C–C coupling, delivering C2+ products with Faradaic efficiencies exceeding 50% and a maximum C2H4 selectivity of 34.0%. Notably, the product selectivity can be effectively switched between CH4 and C2H4, with CH4 reaching a Faradaic efficiency of 60.5% and the C2H4/CH4 ratio increasing up to 10.0 under optimized conditions. Electrochemical and spectroscopic analyses reveal that the enhanced C2+ production originates from the combined effects of increased surface roughness and optimized Cu valence states, which facilitate *CO accumulation and subsequent C–C coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of ChemCatChem is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/cctc.70825
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 9
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Carbon dioxide reduction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Catalyst selectivity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hydrogen-ion concentration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Copper catalysts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Catalyst structure
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Methane
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electrochemical analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ethylene industry
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: pH‐Controlled Catalyst Reconstruction Switches CO2 Reduction Pathways Between Methane and Ethylene.
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            NameFull: Zhu, Zifan
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            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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