Nanoporous Copper from Electrochemical Dealloying of Brass

Copper based catalysts have been shown to reduce CO 2 electrochemically into hydrocarbons and oxygenates with high Faradaic efficiencies [1]. The selectivity and the efficiency of CO 2 electroreduction could benefit from morphological studies on Cu nanocatalysts. Among several methods of fabricating Cu nanocatalysts, dealloying, i.e., the selective electrolytic dissolution of a less-noble element from an alloy [2], is one of the most flexible, controllable, and economical methods available to date. The product of this dissolution is a metallic nanoporous material: an interconnected ligament-pore structure with nearly zero net curvature. Building on the previous investigations on dezincification of brass [3], the evolution of nanoporous Cu from dealloying Muntz metal (Cu 60 Zn 40 ) will be presented. The effect of various dealloying parameters, such as anodic potential, temperature, pH, and electrolyte will be resolved via various advanced characterization techniques. [1] C. T. Dinh et al. , “CO 2 electroreduction to ethylene via hydroxide-mediated copper catalysis at an abrupt interface,” Science , vol. 360, no. 6390, pp. 783–787, 2018. [2] R. C. Newman, S. G. Corcoran, J. Erlebacher, M. J. Aziz, and K. Sieradzki, “Alloy corrosion,” MRS Bull. , vol. 24, no. 7, pp. 24–28, 1999. [3] R. C. Newman, T. Shahrabi, and K. Sieradzki, “Direct electrochemical measurement of dezincification including the effect of alloyed arsenic,” Corros. Sci. , vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 873–886, 1988.