News / Press Release

Major Breakthrough in Copper Catalysts: NSRRC Presents New Pathway to Clean Energy
2025/09/11
Group photo of Dr. Yao-Jane Hsu's research team
TPS 27A Soft X-ray Nanoscopy
As the world pursues carbon neutrality and energy transition, efficiently converting water or carbon dioxide into practical fuels has always been a major challenge in energy science. A joint research team from the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) and the Center for Condensed Matter Sciences at National Taiwan University (NTU) has successfully developed a new catalyst system that precisely controls chemical reaction pathways. By arranging copper atoms in graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), the team was able to steer reactions to selectively produce hydrogen or methane. Such a breakthrough is anticipated to significantly boost clean hydrogen energy and carbon dioxide utilization. The results were published in the world-renowned journal Advanced Functional Materials online on August 5th, 2025.

Electrocatalysis still struggles to steer reactions. Even common copper catalysts are active yet not selective, producing mixed outputs such as H₂, CH₄, and CO. This complicates product separation, reduces efficiency, and limits practical applications.   

By integrating X-ray spectroscopy, structure, imaging, electron microscopy, theoretical calculations, and related techniques, Drs. Yao-Jane Hsu and Wan-Ting Chen of the NSRRC, together with Dr. Michitoshi Hayashi of the Center for Condensed Matter Sciences at NTU, have offered novel insights into copper atom arraying and reaction selectivity. Their research discovers that different atomic configurations act as "energy switches." When single copper atoms are embedded in graphite carbon nitride, they mainly catalyze the hydrogen production reaction. However, when paired copper atoms are embedded between graphite carbon nitride layers, they selectively convert carbon dioxide into methane with an efficiency of up to 88%. This not only ensures remarkable conversion rates but also avoids the complex product separation common in conventional catalytic reactions. Such a “structure-function relationship” is systematically revealed for the first time, offering a promising pathway for the development of future electrocatalytic systems with industrial-scale potential.

Hydrogen is widely regarded as a cornerstone of future clean energy, while converting carbon dioxide into methane or carbon monoxide remains a key strategy for carbon reduction and facilitating a circular economy. Noble metal catalysts has been proven efficient, but their high cost and complex reaction mechanisms have hindered their large-scale applications. This study demonstrates that copper, an inexpensive and abundant material, can achieve both high catalytic efficiency and selectivity through precise atomic-scale engineering. These findings highlight the promising potential for low-cost catalysts to replace the noble metals in practical applications.

Dr. Yao-Jane Hsu emphasized that even a slight alteration in atomic arrays can dramatically change catalytic performance. "Through structural designs at the atomic scale, we can 'switch' the reaction pathway as needed to fully control the product; this is truly an unprecedented breakthrough," she explained. With further optimization of these structural designs, green hydrogen production could be enhanced, and more carbon dioxide-converted fuel could be produced. Such progress has the potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, deeply impact on long-term energy technologies and carbon reduction policies, and ultimately create a win-win situation for both energy sustainability and environmental protection.

This research demonstrates Taiwan's global competitiveness in materials science and energy conversion, while providing a new direction for the international community in the pursuit of net-zero carbon emissions. With atomic-scale precision design applied to energy technologies, reaction outcomes are no longer passively accepted; they can be actively controlled, opening new opportunities on the path to sustainable energy.
 
Adv. Funct. Mater. 2025, e14183