X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy for elucidation of oxide motifs for stability and selectivity in Cu|MOx catalysts for CO2RR

Understanding how Cu|MetalOxide (Cu|MOx) catalysts control activity and selectivity in electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) is
critical for advancing heterogeneous catalysis. We have shown that stable oxide coatings (AlOx, ZrOx) not only suppress Cu reconstruction
during CO2RR but also drive methane selectivity. These oxides were prepared by a novel methodology, which is the colloidal atomic layer
deposition (c-ALD). In comparison, gas-phase atomic layer deposition (gALD) grown oxides still preserve stability, yet steer selectivity away
from CO2RR towards hydrogen evolution. Control experiments exclude factors like loading and porosity, thus suggesting that distinct oxide
motifs are responsible for selectivity. Herein, we propose to use operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to resolve the oxide motifs
and electronic states that govern both the stability and selectivity of Cu|MOx catalysts prepared by novel (cALD) and conventional (gALD)
methods