{
  "abstract": "Cation effect is essential to obtain selectivity towards carbon dioxide (CO 2 )​ reduction reaction (CO 2 ​RR) over the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic media. Selectivity towards CO 2 RR has been largely attributed to the coordination between alkali cations and CO 2 -derived intermediates. Here, we provide a different perspective by demonstrating that tetraethylammonium (Et 4 ​N + ), a weakly coordinating cation, can also effectively suppress the HER in acidic media, favoring CO 2 ​RR on both Ag and Cu electrodes. The generation of both C 1 ​ and C 2+ ​ products on Cu indicates that the direct participation of alkali cations as co-catalyst is not a prerequisite for CO 2 activation or C-C coupling. We find that CO 2 ​RR is independent of the bulk pH in the presence of 1 M Et 4 ​N + , as evidenced by similar selectivity across acidic, neutral, and alkaline media. In addition, rigorous impurities control reveals that millimolar-levels of triethylammonium chloride (Et 3 ​NHCl) substantially promote HER on Cu catalyst, hence calling for careful impurity control. Overall, this work reveals the use of Et 4 ​N + as an valuable platform to investigate the effects of cations or impurities for CO 2 ​RR.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Catalysis",
    "Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Damien Degoulange",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1842-0137"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Qiucheng Xu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Miyeon Chang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wenchao Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jacobus C. Duburg"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xile Hu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7fvzndyb6mqnd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15004976/v2",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "7fvzndyb6mqnd",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15004976/v2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2105|CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213223189",
  "pdf_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/pdf/10.26434/chemrxiv.15004976/v2",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7fvzndyb6mqnd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15004976",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15004976/v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "source:chemrxiv",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Tetraethylammonium Cations Enable C2+ Product Formation in Acidic CO2 Reduction",
  "title_text": "Tetraethylammonium Cations Enable C2+ Product Formation in Acidic CO2 Reduction",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7fvzndyb6mqnd",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}