Highly stable Cu45 superatom could transform carbon recycling
Story by Paul Arnold
• 10h
(a) Molecular structure of Cu45, with hydrogen atoms omitted for the sake of clarity. Color codes: Cu = green; C = gray; O = red; F = chartreuse. (b) Anatomy of kernel structures of Cu45. (c) Distribution of alkynyl ligands in Cu45. (d) Distribution of acetate ligands in Cu45. (e-g) Alkynyl ligand motifs in Cu45. Credit: Journal of the American Chemical Society (2026). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c17976
After years of trying, scientists have finally created a stable superatom of copper, a long-sought-after chemical breakthrough that could revolutionize how we deal with carbon emissions.
Building a superatomCopper is a cheap and common metal, and because of its ability to bind carbon atoms together (C-C coupling), scientists have wanted to use it to turn carbon dioxide into products like ethylene for plastics and fuels. However, it corrodes or falls apart almost immediately when exposed to air or harsh industrial conditions.
A superatom is a cluster of atoms that behaves like a single atom, but with greater stability. In this new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, scientists from Tsinghua University in Beijing built a nanocluster made from 45 copper atoms (Cu45).
These are arranged in a closed-shell formation, which means the electrons are stable—similar to noble gases like neon or argon that are naturally inert and don't react with their surroundings. The cluster is also wrapped in a protective shell of organic molecules which ensures it does not fall apart, the fate of previous attempts at creating copper superatoms.
Highly stableTo prove the superatom was highly stable, the team put it through a series of tests that would normally break down ordinary copper. They found the cluster remained perfectly intact in boiling water, concentrated acid, harsh chemicals, and when heated to 95°C—a level of toughness never previously seen in a copper nanocluster.
Because this version of copper was tough enough to survive these conditions, the study authors conducted an electrocatalysis experiment to see how well it could perform as a catalyst. In this experiment, they used electricity to break apart carbon dioxide molecules so the copper could bind them back together in new forms. The result was that the cluster converted carbon dioxide into ethylene with over 80% efficiency. Ethylene is one of the most important industrial chemicals, used in everything from plastics to green fuels.
"Cu45 is the first well-defined Cu superatom electrocatalyst used for CO2-to-C2H4 electrocatalysis, which exhibits outstanding performance... surpassing all known copper cluster catalysts," wrote the researchers in their paper.
Looking ahead, the team believes their discovery provides a new way of creating stable copper catalysts for a wide range of uses: "This work provides new insights into the design of robust Cu nanoclusters for electrocatalytic applications, enabling their broader application in future research and technology development."
Written for you by our author Paul Arnold,edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—thisarticle is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive.If this reporting matters to you,please consider a donation (especially monthly).
More information: Ben Zhang et al, Ultrastable Copper Superatom, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2026). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c17976
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This story was originally published on Phys.org. |
