On-line Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Reveals Material Degradation Dynamics of Au and Cu Catalysts during Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

A significant challenge in commercializing electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) is achieving catalyst durability. In this study, online inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) was used to investigate catalyst degradation via nanoparticle detachment and/or dissolution into metal ions under CO2R operating conditions in 0.1 M KHCO3. We developed an experimental framework with ex situ characterization to validate the online ICP–MS method for in situ evaluation of degradation from metal foils. By varying the applied potential and microenvironment (CO2 vs N2-saturated electrolyte), we gained insights into the degradation of Au and Cu foils under CO2R and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) conditions. While both Au and Cu foils were observed to be stable to dissolution in these regimes, degradation via nanoparticle detachment from the foil surface at the femtogram scale was observed as a function of reaction conditions, providing new insights into material degradation mechanisms. When applying potential steps at −0.1 and −1.0 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), Au was found to degrade via nanoparticle detachment under CO2R operating conditions more than under HER conditions, while Cu was found to degrade via nanoparticle detachment in similar amounts during both reactions. Au lost ∼1.8× more mass and ∼7.5× more nanoparticles than Cu under CO2R operating conditions. This study demonstrates the use of online ICP–MS to gain insight into the degradation of Au and Cu, the importance of studying unconventional degradation mechanisms such as nanoparticle detachment, and that online ICP–MS can be further utilized to gain fundamental understanding of catalyst durability for a variety of reaction systems.