Electrochemically converting carbon monoxide to liquid fuels by directing selectivity with electrode surface area

Wang, Lei; Nitopi, Stephanie; Wong, Andrew B.; Snider, Jonathan L.; Nielander, Adam C.; Morales-Guio, Carlos G.; Orazov, Marat; Higgins, Drew C.; Hahn, Christopher; Jaramillo, Thomas F.

doi:10.1038/s41929-019-0301-z

Title: Electrochemically converting carbon monoxide to liquid fuels by directing selectivity with electrode surface area

Journal Article · 17 June 2019 · Nature Catalysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-019-0301-z · OSTI ID:1560654

^[1];

^[1]; Snider, Jonathan L. ^[1];

^[1];

^[1]; Orazov, Marat ^[1]; Higgins, Drew C. ^[2]; Hahn, Christopher ^[3];

^[4]

Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
Stanford Univ., CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada)
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Stanford Univ., CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Using renewable electricity to convert CO/CO₂ into liquid products is touted as a sustainable process to produce fuels and chemicals, yet requires further advances in electrocatalyst understanding, development and device integration. The roughness factor of an electrode has generally been used to increase total rates of production, although rarely as a means to improve selectivity. In this study, we demonstrate that increasing the roughness factor of Cu electrodes is an effective design principle to direct the selectivity of CO reduction towards multicarbon oxygenates at low overpotentials and concurrently suppressing hydrocarbon and hydrogen production. The nanostructured Cu electrodes are capable of achieving almost full selectivity towards multicarbon oxygenates at an electrode potential of only –0.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Lastly, the successful implementation of this catalytic system has enabled an excellent CO reduction performance and elucidated viable pathways to improve the energy efficiency towards liquid fuels in high-power conversion electrolysers.

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Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-76SF00515; SC0004993

OSTI ID:: 1560654

Journal Information:: Nature Catalysis, Journal Name: Nature Catalysis Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 2; ISSN 2520-1158

Publisher:: Springer NatureCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Electrochemically converting carbon monoxide to liquid fuels by directing selectivity with electrode surface area

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