Surface Reconstruction of La₂CuO₄ during the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Ethylene and Its Benefits for Enhanced Performance

Electrochemical reduction (ECR) of CO 2 to C 2 H 4 has a potential key role in realizing the carbon neutral future, which ultimately relies on the availability of an efficient electrocatalyst that can exhibit a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) for C 2 H 4 production and robust, long-term operational stability. Here, for the first time, we report that upon applying reductive potential and electrolyte to the benchmark La 2 CuO 4 catalyst, surface reconstruction occurred, i.e., the appearance of a distinctive phase evolution process over time, which was successfully monitored using ex situ powder XRD and operando Mott–Schottky (M–S) measurements of La 2 CuO 4 samples that were soaked into the electrolyte and subjected to CO 2 -ECR for different durations. At the end of such a reconstruction process, an outermost layer consisting of lanthanum carbonate, a thin outer layer made of an amorphous Cu + material formed over the core bulk La 2 CuO 4, as confirmed by various characterization techniques, which resulted in the redistribution of interfacial electrons and subsequent formation of electron-rich and electron-deficient interfaces. This contributed to the enhancement in FE for C 2 H 4, reaching as much as 58.7%. Such surface reconstruction-induced electronic structure tuning gives new explanations for the superior catalytic performance of La 2 CuO 4 perovskite and also provides a new pathway to advance CO 2 -ECR technology.