Main . Closing the carbon cycle through electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) reduction with renewable energy has drawn attention for its potential to create net-zero technologies1 , 2 , 3. Cu-based catalysts are considered the only class of materials able to perform C–C coupling4 , 5and to provide valuable C 2+ products at high reaction rates6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11. Cu and particularly oxide-derived Cu (OD-Cu) catalysts exhibit significant structur...