Selective, high efficiency reduction of CO2 in a non-diaphragm-based electrochemical system at low applied voltage†
Abstract
In a typical electrochemical CO2 reduction system, hydrocarbon products are not selectively generated when a diaphragm is used in the cell. However, without the diaphragm, H2 and CH4 are selectively produced with Faradaic efficiencies as high as 96.7% in methanolic NaOH and KOH electrolytes, respectively. We are the first to successfully achieve the selective production of hydrocarbon and hydrogen fuels from the electrochemical reduction of CO2, which can help to meet the rapidly growing energy demands of modern society.