Journal article
Efficient Conversion of CO2 to Formate Using Inexpensive and Easily Prepared Post-Transition Metal Alloy Catalysts
Energy & fuels, Vol.34(3), pp.3467-3476
03/19/2020
DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b03783
Abstract
Developing affordable electrocatalysts to facilitate the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to high-value products with high selectivity, efficiency, and large current densities is a critical step for the production of liquid carbon-based fuels. In this work, we show that inexpensive post-transition metals [tin (Sn) and lead (Pb)] and their alloys (PbSn) are excellent cathode materials to reduce CO2 in an ionic liquid/acetonitrile/water electrolyte media. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements show that the PbSn alloys exhibit lower charge-transfer resistance when compared to the pure metal electrodes, as supported by electronic structure calculations. Current densities as high as 60 mA/cm2 are observed with optimal mixtures of ionic liquid, acetonitrile, and water. Reduction product analysis identifies carbon monoxide (CO) and formate (HCOO−) as primary reduced products, with higher selectivity toward formate. Faradaic efficiency for formate on pure Pb and pure Sn was determined to be 80 ± 4 and 86 ± 3%, respectively. FE % improves as either Pb is incorporated into Sn or vice versa, and there is a maximum FE of 91 ± 3% for both 50 and 40% Pb composition.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Efficient Conversion of CO2 to Formate Using Inexpensive and Easily Prepared Post-Transition Metal Alloy Catalysts
- Creators
- Amanuel Hailu - Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United StatesAli Abbaspour Tamijani - Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United StatesSara E Mason - Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United StatesScott K Shaw - Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Energy & fuels, Vol.34(3), pp.3467-3476
- DOI
- 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b03783
- ISSN
- 0887-0624
- eISSN
- 1520-5029
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100006770, name: American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, award: 55279-DNI5
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/19/2020
- Academic Unit
- Chemistry
- Record Identifier
- 9984216585702771
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