Subsurface Oxygen Plays a Role in CO2/H2O Reaction at Copper Surface (IMAGE)

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Subsurface Oxygen Plays a Role in CO2/H2O Reaction at Copper Surface

Caption

In this atomic-scale illustration, trace amounts of oxygen (red) just beneath a copper (blue) surface, play a key role in driving a catalytic reaction in which carbon dioxide (black and red molecules) and water (red and white molecules) interact in the beginning stages of forming ethanol. Carbon dioxide molecules hover at the copper surface and then bend to accept hydrogen atoms from the water molecules. X-ray experiments at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source helped researchers to understand the role of subsurface oxygen in this process.

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Berkeley Lab

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