Photoelectrochemical carbon dioxide reduction to hydrocarbons at ambient temperature and pressure

Journal Article · Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · J. Electrochem. Soc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2095490· OSTI ID:6223625

Cook, R L; MacDuff, R C; Sammells, A F

The identification of photoinduced CO/sub 2/ reduction pathways leading to gaseous hydrocarbon species would be an attractive strategy for producing gaseous fuels from this inorganic substrate molecule. Of the dispersed semiconductor suspensions, n-SrTiO/sub 3/ has appeared to be the most active photocatalyst with adsorbed energy conversion efficiencies of approx. =6% being reported. Furthermore, both CO/sub 2/ and HCHO have been shown photoreduced to CH/sub 4/ in the presence of illuminated n-SrTiO/sub 3/ suspensions. On dispersed illuminated SiC both CO and CO/sub 2/ have been shown reducible to hydrocarbon products. Reduction of CO/sub 2/ on illuminated SiC particles leads to HCOOH, HCHO, CH/sub 3/OH, and EtOH formation whereas CO reduction has been shown to give CH/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 4/, C/sub 3/H/sub 6/, and C/sub 3/H/sub 8//sup 6/ as reaction products with no alcohols being observed. In recent years copper has been shown to be the most active electrocatalyst for the electrochemical reduction of CO/sub 2/ or CO in aqueous KHCO/sub 3/. Major reduction products were found to be CH/sub 4/ and C/sub 2/H/sub 4/ with minor products being HCOOH and HCHO. Furthermore, the authors have recently found that formaldehyde can be reduced in aqueous electrolyte to give methane. For in situ electrochemically deposited copper electrodes, cumulative CO/sub 2/ reduction to CH/sub 4/ and C/sub 2/H/sub 4/, at current densities of 8 mA/cm/sup 2/ was found to be nearly faradaic. Reported here is the photoelectrochemical (PEC) reduction of CO/sub 2/ to CH/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 4/, and C/sub 2/H/sub 6/ using illuminated suspensions of p-SiC and Cu particles to CO/sub 2/-saturated potassium bicarbonate.

• Research Organization: Eltron Research, Inc., Aurora, IL (US)
• OSTI ID: 6223625
• Journal Information: J. Electrochem. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 135:12
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CARBON DIOXIDE
REDUCTION
ETHANE
ENERGY CONVERSION
METHANE
ADSORPTION
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CATALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
GAS FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
METHANATION
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
PROPANE
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILICON CARBIDES
STRONTIUM OXIDES
TITANIUM OXIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKANES
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CONVERSION
DISPERSIONS
FUELS
KINETICS
MATERIALS
MIXTURES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTION KINETICS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SOLUTIONS
SORPTION
STRONTIUM COMPOUNDS
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
090121* - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Chemical Synthesis- (1976-1989)
400400 - Electrochemistry
400500 - Photochemistry
360601 - Other Materials- Preparation & Manufacture