Electrochemical CO2 reduction improved by tuning the Cu-Cu distance in halogen-bridged dinuclear cuprous coordination polymers

Cu dinuclear coordination polymers in which two Cu atoms are bridged by a halogen reduce CO2 to C2 products. The distance between the two Cu atoms is expected to affect the C–C coupling reaction efficiency, herein we propose that a shorter Cu-Cu distance and desorption of bridging halogen elements from Cu atoms facilitate C2 formation from experimental results and DFT calculations. In many previous studies, the influence of factors other than the organic ligands has been overlooked in the structural design of metal complexes. The C2 product selectivity is greatly influenced by surrounding elements as well as organic ligands.