Cryogenic Carbon Monoxide Oxidation on Cuprous Oxide

Abstract

Abstract Performing oxidation reactions at low temperatures using earth‐abundant materials is crucial for advancing solutions for sustainable chemistry. CO oxidation serves as a benchmark reaction to characterize oxidation and to advance fundamental concepts in surface chemistry. While there are several examples of CO oxidation occurring on metal oxides at low temperatures, from 300 K to ∼200 K, reactivity in the cryogenic temperature regime typically requires a metal nanoparticle on a metal oxide. Here, we show oxygen atoms on the (111) facet of Cu 2 O react with CO to form CO 2 at temperatures below 100 K. Combining spectroscopic experimental evidence with calculations, we propose a low barrier path for CO oxidation at reconstructed surface sites on Cu 2 O(111). This finding is a rare example of an earth‐abundant metal oxide, in this case copper, that can provide highly reactive multifunctional sites, enabling both adsorption and reaction fundamental steps toward the efficient heterogeneous oxidation of chemicals.