Catalysis AI Agent Guides Discovering the Universal Design Principle of Cu‐Based Single‐Atom Alloy Catalysts for CO 2 Electroreduction

Read full text
Authors: Xuning Wang, Zhong Li, Di Zhang, H. C. Li, Haoxiang Xu, Daojian Cheng
Cited by: 12
References: 60

Abstract

ABSTRACT Copper (Cu)‐based single‐atom alloys (SAAs) represent a promising strategy for optimizing the electroreduction of CO 2 (CO 2 R) to multi‐carbon products (C 2+ ). However, the diverse enhancement degrees of C 2+ selectivity brought about by various dopants have not yet been rationalized, which lead to the absence of guidelines for further designing desired Cu‐based SAAs. Herein, guided by the Catalysis AI Agent developed based on large‐scale data + large language model, as well as the Digital Catalysis Platform (the DigCat experimental database), we performed first‐principles calculations to evaluate C 2+ products selectivity trends through identifying the energy barrier of rate‐determining step (RDS) among diverse C‐C coupling pathways. With first‐principles results fed back, Catalysis AI Agent reveals that the element classification in the periodic table of guest metal dopant is essential for establishing robust structure‐selectivity correlations among Cu‐based SAAs. A structural descriptor (φ) is developed and helps to establish a strong correlation among the electronic‐scale structural features, the adsorption strength of C‐C coupling precursors, and the macroscopic C 2+ products selectivity. A universal design principle based on φ for Cu‐based SAAs enables the rapid and qualitative evaluation of C 2+ selectivity, which is fully supported by most of the experimental references and our experimental verification.

Fields of Study & Subjects

CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

Publication details

Journal / source
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
65
Issue
21
Pages
e24612–e24612
Publication date
24 February 2026
Language
EN