Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), which enables the directional conversion of CO2 into high-value-added fuels and chemicals, has emerged as a highly promising cutting-edge approach to mitigating fossil fuel consumption and curbing carbon emissions. Copper (Cu)-based catalysts have been extensively studied in the CO2RR, yet the in situ reconstruction mechanism of the catalysts remains an overlooked critical aspect. In this study, we employed diverse metal salt precursors to synthesize CuO catalysts, aiming to investigate the influence of residual elements on the surface reconstruction of catalysts during the CO2RR. Furthermore, with the aid of in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, the key intermediates in the CH4 formation pathway (*CH2O) and the characteristic intermediate in the C2H4 generation pathway (*OCCHO) were successfully captured, thereby elucidating the impact of residual elements on the CO2RR pathways. This study provides in-depth insights into catalyst surface reconstruction and offers effective strategies for the design of CO2RR catalysts.
Zhang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.