In situ infrared spectroscopy in combination with isotope labeling was employed to probe active sites for CO2 dissociation at room temperature on Cu/TiO2 surfaces containing oxygen vacancies and highly dispersed copper sites. Our observations indicate that CO, produced from either the dissociation of CO2 or the oxidation of surface carbon residue, initially adsorbs on the oxygen vacancies. Competitive adsorption of water molecules on the oxygen vacancies eventually promotes migration of the adsorbed CO to the copper sites. In comparison, the presence of gaseous CO2 inhibits such migration by competitive adsorption on the copper sites. Our results provide new insights regarding spontaneous CO2 dissociation at room temperature on catalytic surfaces containing oxygen vacancies.

Probing active sites for room temperature CO2 dissociation on Cu/TiO2 using infrared spectroscopy

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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