Issue 5, 2017

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to synthesis gas with controlled CO/H2 ratios

Abstract

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) to simultaneously produce carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) has been achieved on carbon supported palladium (Pd/C) nanoparticles in an aqueous electrolyte. The synthesis gas product has a CO to H2 ratio between 0.5 and 1, which is in the desirable range for thermochemical synthesis of methanol and Fischer–Tropsch reactions using existing industrial processes. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy in both near-edge (XANES) and extended regions (EXAFS) and in situ X-ray diffraction show that Pd has transformed into β-phase palladium hydride (β-PdH) during the CO2RR. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the binding energies of both adsorbed CO and H are significantly weakened on PdH than on Pd surfaces, and that these energies are potential descriptors to facilitate the search for more efficient electrocatalysts for syngas production through the CO2RR.

Graphical abstract: Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to synthesis gas with controlled CO/H2 ratios

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Jan 2017
Accepted
20 Feb 2017
First published
20 Feb 2017

Energy Environ. Sci., 2017,10, 1180-1185

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to synthesis gas with controlled CO/H2 ratios

W. Sheng, S. Kattel, S. Yao, B. Yan, Z. Liang, C. J. Hawxhurst, Q. Wu and J. G. Chen, Energy Environ. Sci., 2017, 10, 1180 DOI: 10.1039/C7EE00071E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements