ACS Catalysis | 2019
Photonic Curing: Activation and Stabilization of MetalMembrane Catalysts (MMCs) for the Electrochemical Reduction of CO 2
Abstract
Photonic curing, an exposure of matter to intense and short (μs) light pulses, is herein demonstrated as an effective and versatile method to activate and stabilize electrocatalysts for the electrochemical reduction of CO2. Catalyst preparation by colloidal synthesis often makes use of surfactants (capping agents) that control the size and morphology of target nano-objects during and after their synthesis. However, this approach can severely compromise the catalytic properties of the as-synthesized nanomaterials. Photonic curing is suitable to gently remove surfactants from the catalyst surface without severely altering its overall structural properties (e.g., surface faceting), thereby increasing the abundance of these surface active sites that can participate in the desired (electro)catalytic reaction. This catalyst activation is exemplarily demonstrated on the basis of Cu nanowire (Cu-NW) catalysts synthesized by an oleylamine route and transferred to a glassy carbon (GC) support electrode. Although th...