Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide on kinked stepped surfaces of platinum inside the stereographic triangle

Structural effects on the rate of CO2 reduction are studied on kinked stepped surfaces of Pt inside the stereographic triangle. The surfaces examined are Pt(431), Pt(531) and Pt(532), which consist of two or three atomic rows of (111) terraces and (111) or (100) steps incorporated with kink atoms. The rate of CO2 reduction is enhanced with the increase of the kink atom density. The kinked stepped surfaces have a higher activity for CO2 reduction than the analogous stepped surfaces that have similar terrace and step structures without kink sites. Introduction of kink atoms to Pt(S)-[3(111)×(100)] surface changes the potential dependence of the reduction rates significantly.