Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have revealed the fundamental mechanisms that limit the performance of copper nanocatalysts – critical components in chemical reactions that transform carbon dioxide and water into valuable fuels and chemicals. Copper’s catalytic properties quickly degrade during these reactions, diminishing its performance over time. The researchers identified and observed two competing mechanisms that drive the copper nanoparticles that make up the nanocatalysts to the brink of degradation: nanoparticle migration and coalescence, in which smaller particles combine into larger ones, and Ostwald ripening, where larger particles grow at the expense of smaller particles. These findings suggest mitigation strategies to protect the copper nanocatalysts by limiting either mechanism. Part of the research was conducted at the Molecular Foundry, a DOE Office of Science national user facility at Berkeley Lab.
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