Microenvironment Tailoring for Electrocatalytic CO Reduction: Effects of Interfacial Structure on Controlling Activity and Selectivity.

The performance of the electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) is highly dependent on the microenvironment around the cathode. Despite efforts to optimize the microenvironment by modifying nanostructured catalysts or microporous gas diffusion electrodes, their inherent disorder presents a significant challenge to understanding how interfacial structure arrangement within the electrode governs the microenvironment for CORR. This knowledge gap limits fundamental understanding of CORR while also hindering efforts to enhance CORR selectivity and activity.