Origin of alkali cation effects in electrochemical CO_2 reduction · revision history

Revision 2

Accepted · core change · record

Changes against revision 1:

Title · changed
Revision 1: Origin of alkali cation effects in electrochemical CO2 reduction
Revision 2: Origin of alkali cation effects in electrochemical $\mathrm{CO_2}$ reduction
Plain · changed
Revision 1: On copper and gold electrodes, CO2 reduction barely works without metal cations in the solution, and larger cations such as cesium work better than lithium. Why the cation matters so much is unsettled.
Revision 2: On copper and gold electrodes, $\mathrm{CO_2}$ reduction barely works without metal cations in the solution, and larger cations such as cesium work better than lithium. Why the cation matters so much is unsettled.
Precise · changed · core
Revision 1: For CO2 reduction on Cu and Au electrodes in aqueous MHCO3 ($M = \mathrm{Li}, \mathrm{Na}, \mathrm{K}, \mathrm{Cs}$), identify the mechanism by which the cation controls the rate of the first CO2 activation step and the product selectivity: interfacial field stabilization of adsorbed $\mathrm{CO2}-$, direct coordination, local buffering of pH, or modification of the hydrogen-bond network. An answer is a model predicting partial current densities versus cation identity and concentration.
Revision 2: For $\mathrm{CO_2}$ reduction on Cu and Au electrodes in aqueous MHCO3 ($M = \mathrm{Li}, \mathrm{Na}, \mathrm{K}, \mathrm{Cs}$), identify the mechanism by which the cation controls the rate of the first $\mathrm{CO_2}$ activation step and the product selectivity: interfacial field stabilization of adsorbed $\mathrm{CO2}-$, direct coordination, local buffering of pH, or modification of the hydrogen-bond network. An answer is a model predicting partial current densities versus cation identity and concentration.
Settled by
Spectroscopic detection of cation-adsorbate interactions combined with explicit-cation constant-potential simulations that reproduce the measured trends.
Kind
phenomenon
Answer type
mechanism
References
(empty)
Literature status
contested
Status note
(empty)
Posed since
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Decisions