Understanding the Effects of Au Morphology on CO 2 Electrocatalysis

Toward efficient CO 2 electrocatalysis for CO production, nanostructured Au catalysts have been extensively investigated by the morphology control of oxygen plasma-induced Au islands, oxide-derived Au, Au nanowires (NWs), Au nanoparticles (NPs), nanoporous Au thin films, and Au needles, yet the better performance of one morphology from another is presently not well-understood, making a rational design difficult. Here, the effects of metal morphologies are investigated by focusing on Au NWs and NPs using density functional theory calculations. It is revealed that activity of two key undercoordinated active sites, namely, edge and corner sites, varies delicately with different local coordination environments of various NWs and NPs, and the observed activity trend is remarkably well-rationalized with a generalized coordination number. Furthermore, it is identified that the type of planes an…