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Regulating the selectivity toward a target hydrocarbon product is still the focus of CO2electroreduction. Here, we discover that the original surface Cu species in Cu gas‐diffusion electrodes plays a more important role than the surface roughness, local pH, and facet in governing the selectivity toward C1or C2hydrocarbons. The selectivity toward C2H4progressively increases, while CH4decreases steadily upon lowering the Cu oxidation species fraction. At a relatively low electrodeposition voltage of 1.5 V, the Cu gas‐diffusion electrode with the highest Cuδ+/Cu0ratio favors the pathways of hydrogenation to form CH4with maximum Faradaic efficiency of 65.4% and partial current density of 228 mA cm−2at −0.83 V vs RHE. At 2.0 V, the Cu gas‐diffusion electrode with the lowest Cuδ+/Cu0ratio prefers C–C coupling to form C2+products with Faradaic efficiency topping 80.1% at −0.75 V vs RHE, where the Faradaic efficiency of C2H4accounts for 46.4% and the partial current density of C2H4achieves 279 mA cm−2. This work demonstrates that the selectivity from CH4to C2H4is switchable by tuning surface Cu species composition of Cu gas‐diffusion electrodes.
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Electrochemical and Biocatalytic Signal‐Controlled Payload Release from a Metal–Organic Framework
Abstract A metal–organic framework (MOF), ZIF‐8, which is stable at neutral and slightly basic pH values in aqueous solutions and destabilized/dissolved under acidic conditions, is loaded with a pH‐insensitive fluorescent dye, rhodamine‐B isothiocyanate, as a model payload species. Then, the MOF species are immobilized at an electrode surface. The local (interfacial) pH value is rapidly decreased by means of an electrochemically stimulated ascorbate oxidation at +0.4 V (Ag/AgCl/KCl). Oxygen reduction upon switching the applied potential to −0.8 V allows to return the local pH to the neutral/basic pH, then stopping rapidly the release process. The developed method allows electrochemical control over stimulated or inhibited payload release processes from the MOF. The pH variation proceeds in a thin film of the solution near the electrode surface. The switchable release process is realized in a buffer solution and undiluted human serum. As the second option, the pH decrease stimulating the release process is achieved upon an enzymatic reaction using esterase and ester substrate. This approach potentially allows the release activation controlled by numerous enzymes assembled in complex biocatalytic cascades. It is expected that related electrochemical or biocatalytic systems can represent novel signal‐responding materials with switchable features for delivering (bio)molecules within biomedical applications.
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- PAR ID:
- 10477618
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Volume:
- 36
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0935-9648
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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