scholarly journals Tandem Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction with Efficient Intermediate Conversion over Pyramid-Textured Cu–Ag Catalysts

Author(s):  
Ya Liu ◽  
Haoran Qiu ◽  
Jinghan Li ◽  
Liejin Guo ◽  
Joel W. Ager
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyi Deng ◽  
Dominic Alfonso ◽  
Thuy-Duong Nguyen-Phan ◽  
Douglas Kauffman

Abstract Coinage metals (Au, Cu and Ag) are state-of-the-art electrocatalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). Size-dependent CO2RR activity of Au and Cu has been studied, and increased H2 evolution reaction (HER) activity is expected for small catalyst particles with high population of undercoordinated corner sites. A similar consensus is still lacking for Ag catalysts because the ligands and stabilizers typically used to control particle synthesis can block specific active sites and mask inherent structure-property trends. This knowledge gap is problematic because increased performance and catalyst utilization are still needed to improve economic viability. We combined density functional theory, microkinetic modeling, and experiment to demonstrate a strong size-dependence for pristine Ag particles in the sub-10 nm range. Small diameter particles with a high population of Ag edge sites were predicted to favor HER, whereas CO2RR selectivity increased towards that of bulk Ag for larger diameter particles as the population of Ag(100) surface sites grew. Experimental results validated these predictions and we identified an optimal particle diameter of 8-10 nm that balanced selectivity and activity. Particles below this diameter suffered from poor selectivity, while larger particles demonstrated bulk-like activity and reduced catalyst utilization. These results demonstrate the size-dependent CO2RR activity of pristine Ag catalysts and will help guide future development efforts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changyeon Kim ◽  
Seokhoon Choi ◽  
Min-Ju Choi ◽  
Sol A Lee ◽  
Sang Hyun Ahn ◽  
...  

The photoelectrochemical reduction of CO2 to syngas that is used for many practical applications has been emerging as a promising technique to relieve the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. Si has been considered to be one of the most promising materials for photoelectrodes, but the integration of electrocatalysts is essential for the photoelectrochemical reduction of CO2 using Si. We report an enhancement of catalytic activity for CO2 reduction reaction by Ag catalysts of tuned morphology, active sites, and electronic structure through reducing anodic treatment. Our proposed photocathode structure, a SiO2 patterned p-Si photocathode with these reduced Ag catalysts, that was fabricated using electron-beam deposition and electrodeposition methods, provides a low onset-potential of −0.16 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), a large saturated photocurrent density of −9 mA/cm2 at −1.23 V vs. RHE, and faradaic efficiency for CO of 47% at −0.6 V vs. RHE. This photocathode can produce syngas in the ratio from 1:1 to 1:3, which is an appropriate proportion for practical application. This work presents a new approach for designing photocathodes with a balanced catalytic activity and light absorption to improve the photoelectrochemical application for not only CO2 reduction reaction, but also water splitting or N2 reduction reaction.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles D. Gorecki ◽  
Edward N. Steadman ◽  
John A. Harju ◽  
James A. Sorensen ◽  
John A. Hamling ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Peter T. Smith ◽  
Sophia Weng ◽  
Christopher Chang

We present a bioinspired strategy for enhancing electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction catalysis by cooperative use of base-metal molecular catalysts with intermolecular second-sphere redox mediators that facilitate both electron and proton transfer. Functional synthetic mimics of the biological redox cofactor NADH, which are electrochemically stable and are capable of mediating both electron and proton transfer, can enhance the activity of an iron porphyrin catalyst for electrochemical reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to CO, achieving a 13-fold rate improvement without altering the intrinsic high selectivity of this catalyst platform for CO<sub>2</sub> versus proton reduction. Evaluation of a systematic series of NADH analogs and redox-inactive control additives with varying proton and electron reservoir properties reveals that both electron and proton transfer contribute to the observed catalytic enhancements. This work establishes that second-sphere dual control of electron and proton inventories is a viable design strategy for developing more effective electrocatalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> reduction, providing a starting point for broader applications of this approach to other multi-electron, multi-proton transformations.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Rudd ◽  
Ewa Kazimierska ◽  
Louise B. Hamdy ◽  
Odin Bain ◽  
Sunyhik Ahn ◽  
...  

The utilization of carbon dioxide is a major incentive for the growing field of carbon capture. Carbon dioxide could be an abundant building block to generate higher value products. Herein, we describe the use of porous copper electrodes to catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide into higher value products such as ethylene, ethanol and, notably, propanol. For <i>n</i>-propanol production, faradaic efficiencies reach 4.93% at -0.83 V <i>vs</i> RHE, with a geometric partial current density of -1.85 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>. We have documented the performance of the catalyst in both pristine and urea-modified foams pre- and post-electrolysis. Before electrolysis, the copper electrode consisted of a mixture of cuboctahedra and dendrites. After 35-minute electrolysis, the cuboctahedra and dendrites have undergone structural rearrangement. Changes in the interaction of urea with the catalyst surface have also been observed. These transformations were characterized <i>ex-situ</i> using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We found that alterations in the morphology, crystallinity, and surface composition of the catalyst led to the deactivation of the copper foams.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Bohra ◽  
Isis Ledezma-Yanez ◽  
Guanna Li ◽  
Wiebren De Jong ◽  
Evgeny A. Pidko ◽  
...  

<p>The analysis presented in this manuscript helps bridge an important fundamental discrepancy between the existing theoretical and experimental knowledge regarding the performance of Ag catalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> electrochemical reduction (CO<sub>2</sub>ER). The results demonstrate how the intermediate species *OCHO is formed readily en-route the HCOO<sup>– </sup>pathway and plays a decisive role in determining selectivity of a predominantly CO producing catalyst such as Ag. Our theoretical and experimental approach develops a better understanding of the nature of competition as well as the complex interactions between the reaction intermediates leading to CO, HCOO<sup>–</sup> and H<sub>2</sub> during CO<sub>2</sub>ER.</p><p><br></p><p>Details of computational and experimental methods are present in the Supporting Information provided. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahithi Ananthaneni ◽  
Rees Rankin

<div>Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to useful chemical and fuels in an energy efficient way is currently an expensive and inefficient process. Recently, low-cost transition metal-carbides (TMCs) are proven to exhibit similar electronic structure similarities to Platinum-Group-Metal (PGM) catalysts and hence can be good substitutes for some important reduction reactions. In this work, we test graphenesupported WC (Tungsten Carbide) nanocluster as an electrocatalyst for the CO2 reduction reaction. Specifically, we perform DFT studies to understand various possible reaction mechanisms and determine the lowest thermodynamic energy landscape of CO2 reduction to various products such as CO, HCOOH, CH3OH, and CH4. This in-depth study of reaction energetics could lead to improvements and develop more efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.<br></div>


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