Lateral Adsorbate Interactions Inhibit HCOO− while Promoting CO Selectivity for CO2 Electrocatalysis on Silver

The complexity of CO₂ electrocatalytic systems arising from the solvation of reaction intermediates by water and their lateral interactions on the catalyst surface can be game‐changers for performance. In their Communication (DOI: 10.1002/anie.201811667), W. Smith and co‐workers demonstrate how the formate‐pathway intermediate *OCHO is formed readily on the surface of a predominantly CO‐producing catalyst, such as Ag. *OCHO plays the role of reducing the surface coverage of *H which enables the catalyst to be selective towards CO.

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