Improving CO 2 reduction performance towards C 2 products on a bimetallic Zn 1Cu x /NC electrocatalyst

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to multi-carbon (C₂) compounds presents an innovative strategy for the valorization of renewable energy into essential chemicals and fuels. However, the sluggish dynamics of carbon-carbon (C-C) coupling reaction directly impacts the efficiency and selectivity towards C₂ products. Herein, we introduce a practical electrocatalytic design leveraging asymmetric *CO adsorption to facilitate C-C linkage. The synthesized a bimetallic catalyst, composed of single-atom zinc and copper clusters (Cu₄), uniformly anchored on nitrogen-doped graphene (Zn₁Cu_x/NC). In-situ Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations revealed that the high *CO coverage promoted the C-C coupling reaction. Moreover, optimizing the anodic reaction environment further augments C2 product yields. Notably, this catalytic system achieves a high CO₂-to-C₂ conversion yield of 84.9% at a commercially relevant current density of -100 mA/cm², alongside urea oxidation reaction at the anode, making a significant progress in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to valuable C₂ products.