Better Understanding of CO Adsorption Energy May Aid Better Catlyst Creation

New developments in understanding how carbon monoxide adheres to catalysts provide crucial insights for designing more efficient catalysts. This science could transform carbon dioxide into sustainable fuels.

Chemists at Ohio State University have created an innovative framework to assess the efficiency with which carbon monoxide adheres to a catalyst's surface during its conversion from carbon dioxide. Their study, published in Nature Catalysis, highlights a new way to interpret this process under real reaction conditions.

This adherence, referred to as carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption energy, is a characteristic that frequently influences the ultimate outcome of a chemical reaction.

Using a commonly available advanced electroanalytical method, the researchers discovered that the intensity of this adsorption energy is contingent upon a combination of reaction variables, such as the nature of the catalyst material, the voltage applied, and the structure of the surface.

This paper is a significant advancement in the field, as a better comprehension of the mechanisms of CO adsorption in real time can help researchers explore novel methods to convert carbon dioxide into valuable fuel products such as methanol and ethanol.

These findings may facilitate the progress of cleaner technologies that promote a more sustainable future by creating improved catalysts, stated Zhihao Cui, the study's principal author and a postdoctoral researcher in chemistry at Ohio State University.

Our approach provides a vital bridge between theory and experiment by helping guide the design of catalysts that can convert CO₂ into useful liquid fuels more efficiently.

Zhihao Cui, Study Principal Author and Postdoctoral Researcher, Chemistry, The Ohio State University

Until now, researchers have not had an experimental approach to assess the binding strength of carbon monoxide in actual reaction conditions. This limitation meant that scientists' theoretical forecasts regarding reaction outcomes were insufficient in addressing the intricacies of electrocatalytic settings.

The Ohio State team successfully confirmed their theories by observing the interactions of carbon monoxide with materials such as gold and copper. They discovered that although carbon monoxide can form bonds with gold and copper with comparable strengths, only copper can produce multi-carbon products from CO₂.

These unexpected findings indicated that the CO adsorption process is, in fact, more intricate than previously assumed by researchers.

Carbon dioxide is such a stable molecule, so it's hard to break down. Whether it takes two or twelve steps to complete a reaction, it usually requires a lot of energy.

Anne Co, Study Co-Author and Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University

Chemists generally use electrochemistry to produce and store energy. However, optimizing the process with this team's innovative framework may make it easier to realize the energy requirements for a prospective chemical reaction.

Their straightforward approach could eliminate the need for costly equipment. Cui suggests other researchers can use their framework to extend the experiment to a wide range of catalysts. 

The researchers recognized that their method has certain limitations, but intend to enhance their model and techniques to produce more detailed insights into chemistry.

“Even a very simple technique such as the one we used in this study can make a really huge difference in this field. So as long as your idea is new, you may be able to measure something that was previously considered impossible to measure,” said Cui.

Additional co-authors from Ohio State are Kassidy Aztergo and Jiseon Hwang. The study received funding from the National Science Foundation.

Journal Reference:

Cui, Z., et al. (2025) Determining CO adsorption free energies on CO₂ electroreduction active sites through kinetic analysis. Nature Catalysis. doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01427-1