Electrochemical Pathways for Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Abstract

To enhance efficiency and selectivity to value added products, we examine electrochemical processes by which carbon dioxide is reduced.  A mixed methods approach was adopted and both qualitative structural characterization using SEM and TEM with quantitative electrochemical tools such as controlled- potential electrolysis and cyclic voltammetry were employed.  Surface-functionalized and nanoporous catalysts were tested in CO 2 -saturated electrolytes, and the product distributions were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography.  This evidence demonstrates that surface architecture and electrode composition play a significant role in influencing the reduction outcomes, with the catalysts that have been optimized doing both better in overpotential reduction and determining higher Faradaic efficiencies.  All products were analyzed according to the amounts formed, namely, methane, ethylene, carbon monoxide, and formic acid, and clear trends with catalyst design in the aspect of product specificity were observed.  As far as statistical analysis of these results is concerned the significance and reliability of the results were proved.  This work highlights the potential of electrochemical CO 2 reduction as a potential transformative technology of carbon recycling and the production of renewable fuels by combining mechanistic knowledge with experimental findings.  The created process can be an excellent base of the future research, which canaim at the more global aspects of climate change mitigation and sustainable energy.