Fig. 3: Schematic of the proposed mechanism for the formation of low-coordinated Cu species.
From: Atomic-scale surface restructuring of copper electrodes under CO2 electroreduction conditions
a–c, Starting from a planar Cu surface with an ordered carbonate adlayer (a), decreasing the potential (U) leads to a reversible transition to a disordered (bi)carbonate/carboxylate adlayer (b), followed by CO-induced formation of Cu nanoclusters and vacancy islands (c). d, Increasing the potential back to the double layer regime, the Cu clusters disperse into isolated Cu adatoms, resulting in a disordered adlayer of mutually stabilizing carbonate/carboxylate adsorbates and Cu surface defects.
