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It is challenging to efficiently reduce CO2, let alone do so with deliberate control of selectivity. A new study on metalloporphyrin-catalyzed CO2 electroreduction reveals why some catalysts make CO and others make HCO2H.
The controlled deposition of single Pt atoms on a substrate affords a well-dispersed and robust CO oxidation catalyst, for which spectroscopic characterization can unravel detailed reaction pathways.