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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 23: Catalysis and surface reactions – Poster

O 23.8: Poster

Montag, 9. März 2026, 18:00–20:00, P2

Probing the active state of Cu(111) for plasma-catalytic CO₂ hydrogenation — •Luka Babić and Roland Bliem — ARCNL, Materials & Surface Science for EUVL, Science Park 106, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Plasma catalysis combines the concept of heterogeneous catalysis with the activation of reactants by a plasma discharge. The activation of strong molecular bonds is expected to change the kinetics of challenging reactions such as the hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol. This reaction proceeds in a mixed H₂/CO₂ plasma, which consists of a multitude of species, including radicals, atoms, and ions with energy stored in various states and degrees of freedom. The state of surfaces interacting with this complex mixture is poorly understood, even for well-defined single-crystalline model catalysts.

Here, we use in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and residual gas analysis to disentangle reaction pathways and the evolution of a Cu(111) model catalyst surface during exposure to radicals generated in plasma. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is used to characterize plasma and to assess the species hitting the surface during the exposure. XPS reveals the formation of adsorbed oxygen, followed by Cu(I) and finally Cu(II) oxides. Carbon is fully absent during the reaction with neutral activated CO₂ species. Upon reduction by plasma-activated hydrogen, hydroxides are formed. Depending on the operating conditions, we thus expect the active surface of a Cu plasma catalyst to be either Cu hydroxide or Cu metal.

Keywords: Surface Science; Plasma; Catalysis; XPS