@article{Chen2025, 
author = {Rongzhen Chen and Ling Zhang and Yuhang Li},
title = {Imidazolium ligand-modified Cu2O catalysts for enhancing C2+ selectivity in CO2 electroreduction via local *CO enrichment},
year = {2025},
journal = {Industrial Chemistry & Materials},
volume = {3},
number = {4},
pages = {431-439},
keywords = {Electrochemical CO2 reduction, Copper-based catalysts, C2+ product selectivity, *CO concentration},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1039/d5im00052a},
doi = {10.1039/d5im00052a},
abstract = {Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) to synthesize multicarbon products is a critical route for sustainable CO2 utilization, yet achieving high selectivity and current density simultaneously remains challenging. While enhancing *CO coverage on catalysts is pivotal for promoting C–C coupling, the dynamic competition between intermediate enrichment and microenvironment regulation necessitates innovative strategies. Here, we employ surface ligand engineering to construct a tunable hydrophobic microenvironment on Cu2O catalysts, using imidazolium-based ionic liquids with alkyl side chains of varying lengths. The optimized OMIm-Cu2O catalyst achieves a C2+ selectivity of 63.3% in alkaline media and 30.7% in acidic media. Mechanistic studies reveal that hydrophobic long-chain ligands elevate local *CO concentration, facilitating efficient C–C coupling. This work highlights microenvironment modulation as a viable pathway to bridge the gap between high efficiency and industria–current–density performance in CO2RR.}
}