Spectroscopic Observation of Reversible Surface Reconstruction of Copper Electrodes under CO2 Reduction

The ability of copper to catalyze the electrochemical reduction of CO2 has been shown to greatly depend on its nanoscale surface morphology. While previous studies found evidence of irreversible changes of copper nanoparticle and thin film electrodes following electrolysis, we present here the first observation of the reversible reconstruction of electrocatalytic copper surfaces induced by the adsorbed CO intermediate. Using attenuated total internal reflection infrared and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopies, the reversible formation of nanoscale metal clusters on the electrode is revealed by the appearance of a new C equivalent to O absorption band characteristic of CO bound to under coordinated copper atoms and by the strong enhancement of the surface-enhanced Raman effect. Our study shows that the morphology of the catalytic copper surface is not static but dynamically adapts with changing reaction conditions.