 This study investigates the effects of carbon dioxide exposure on copper nanostructures. It was found that carbon dioxide exposure causes copper nanostructures to evolve into step-broken clusters, which are able to compensate for the increased surface chemical potential energy caused by the gas. This process results in reversible and irreversible copper for seating geometries, depending on the amount of carbon dioxide present. Additionally, it was discovered that the chemical binding energy of carbon dioxide molecules differs when they are attached to copper compared to when they are free in the gas phase. This provides further evidence of the step-broken cluster formation. This article was authored by Jongjin Kim, Yonsei Q, Taiwan Go, and others.