Isomerization‐Guided Trace Sulfur Doping Enables Selective CO 2 ‐to‐Ethanol Conversion

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Authors: Qixing Zhang, Xingfei Chen, Shuai Xu, Dan Ren, Han He, Dekang Liu, Ying Zhao, Xiaodan Zhang
Cited by: 1
References: 60

Abstract

ABSTRACT Directing the CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) toward ethanol offers a promising route to sustainable liquid fuels. However, achieving high ethanol selectivity under industrially relevant current densities still remains a major challenge. Here, we introduce trace sulfur doping via thiourea isomerization, which enables precise sulfur incorporation to weakly bind bridge‐adsorbed OH species, thereby suppressing OH − adsorption on active sites and preventing their attack on defect sites. In situ Raman spectroscopy further reveals that suppressed OH − adsorption promotes the exposure of undercoordinated Cu active sites, enabling robust *CO atop‐binding configurations to be sustained, particularly under strongly cathodic current densities. Additionally, the tailored surface microenvironment boosts *CO dimerization kinetics, and its synergistic interplay with *OH modulation channels the reaction pathway toward ethanol generation. Consequently, the catalyst delivers a current density of −0.9 A cm −2 with a Faradaic efficiency of nearly 79.6% for C 2+ products, including 40% toward ethanol. This work highlights trace heteroatom‐driven surface reconstruction as an effective strategy to engineer catalytic CO 2 utilization.

Fields of Study & Subjects

CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts Catalysts for Methane Reforming Catalysis for Biomass Conversion

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Functional Materials
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
36
Issue
35
Publication date
24 January 2026
Language
EN