Fig. 7: A schematic summary.

With alkali cations used in the electrolyte, at deeply cathodic conditions typically needed for CO₂RR, alkali cation-induced cathodic corrosion and therefore a dynamic catalyst morphology can be expected. Long-term morphology-induced selectivity/activity benefits from the catalysts will be limited. On the other hand, if cathodic corrosion can be prohibited (e.g., working at a less negative potential compared to the onset), then catalyst morphology control can potentially bring stable benefits to the catalyst performance.