Boosting selectivity towards formate production using CuAl alloy nanowires by altering the CO reduction reaction pathway.

Understanding the fundamentals behind an electrocatalyst's selectivity enables the ability to steer product formation. Herein, we study Cu nanowires doped with a small amount of Al (12%) for COR, which enhances formate production by 16.9% over pure Cu nanowires. Density functional theory calculations and COR were employed to posit the preference of the formate formation pathway as a result of the Al doping.