Oxygenates from the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) driven by renewable electricity to give chemicals and fuels is considered an ideal approach that can alleviate both carbon emission and energy tension stress. High‐value chemicals such as oxygenates can be effectively produced from the electroreduction of CO₂, and this is highly attractive to promote the economy and applicability of CO₂ utilization. This review focuses on recent advancements in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to formic acid, methanol, ethanol, acetic acid, and other oxygenates. The principles of the process, influencing factors, and typical catalysts are summarized. On the basis of the aforementioned discussions, we present future prospects for further development of the electroreduction of CO₂ to oxygenates.     

CO2 Electroreduction in Ionic Liquids: A Review

The increasing emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) caused by the unrestrained consumption of fossil fuels in recent hundreds of years, has caused global environmental and social problems. Meanwhile, CO₂ is a cheap, abundant and renewable C1‐feedstock, which can be converted into alcohols, ethers, acids and other value‐added chemicals. Compared with the thermal reactions, electrochemical reduction of CO₂ is more attractive because of its advantages by using the seasonal, geographical and intermittent energy (tide, wind and solar) under mild conditions. In recent years, taking ionic liquids (ILs) as electrolytes in the CO₂ electrochemical reduction reaction has been paid much more attention due to the advantages of lowering the overpotential of CO₂ electroreduction and improving the Faradaic efficiency. In this paper, we summarized the recent progresses of electrochemical reduction of CO₂ in ILs electrolytes, and analyzed the reaction mechanism of CO₂ reaction in the electrode‐electrolyte interface region by experimental and simulation methods. Finally, the research which needs to be highlighted in this area was proposed.     

Highly Rechargeable Lithium‐CO2 Batteries with a Boron‐ and Nitrogen‐Codoped Holey‐Graphene Cathode

Metal‐air batteries, especially Li‐air batteries, have attracted significant research attention in the past decade. However, the electrochemical reactions between CO₂ (0.04 % in ambient air) with Li anode may lead to the irreversible formation of insulating Li₂CO₃, making the battery less rechargeable. To make the Li‐CO₂ batteries usable under ambient conditions, it is critical to develop highly efficient catalysts for the CO₂ reduction and evolution reactions and investigate the electrochemical behavior of Li‐CO₂ batteries. Here, we demonstrate a rechargeable Li‐CO₂ battery with a high reversibility by using B,N‐codoped holey graphene as a highly efficient catalyst for CO₂ reduction and evolution reactions. Benefiting from the unique porous holey nanostructure and high catalytic activity of the cathode, the as‐prepared Li‐CO₂ batteries exhibit high reversibility, low polarization, excellent rate performance, and superior long‐term cycling stability over 200 cycles at a high current density of 1.0 A g⁻¹. Our results open up new possibilities for the development of long‐term Li‐air batteries reusable under ambient conditions, and the utilization and storage of CO₂.     

Ni(II)cyclam Catalyzed Reduction of CO2 – Towards a Voltammetric Sensor for the Gas Phase

The detection of CO₂ in the gas phase is possible in presence of oxygen with an amalgamated Au‐poly(tetrafluoroethylene) gas diffusion electrode and an internal electrolyte solution containing Ni(II)cyclam. For concentrations between 0.1 to 1% the electrochemical cell has a sensitivity of 3.58 mA %^?1 and the detection limit is 500 ppm. In preliminary experiments at rotating disk electrodes the optimum pH‐range was found to be between 3.5 to 6 and a selectivity ratio of the catalyst for CO₂/H⁺ of 5 : 1 could be determined. The relationship between reduction current and the square root of the angular speed is linear, indicating that the electrochemical process is limited by diffusion of CO₂. Tl and Pb are presented as alternative electrode materials at which the Ni(II)cyclam catalyzed reduction of CO₂ can be observed. Problems arise from fouling effects at the sensing electrode and a non‐linearity of the calibration plot at higher concentrations.     

Involvement of Proton Transfer for Carbon Dioxide Reduction Coupled with Extracellular Electron Uptake in Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1

Microbial biosynthesis of hydrocarbon from CO₂ reduction driven by electron uptake process from the cathodic electrode has gained intensive attention in terms of potential industrial application. However, a lack of a model system for detailed studies on the mechanism of the CO₂ reduction hinders the improvement in efficiency for microbial electrosynthesis. Here, we examined the mechanism of microbial CO₂ reduction at the cathode by a well‐described microbe for extracellular electron uptake, Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1, capable of reducing gaseous CO₂ to produce formic acid. Using whole‐cell electrochemical assay, we observed stable cathodic current production at ?0.65 V vs Ag/AgCl KCl sat. associated with the introduction of CO₂. The observed cathodic current was enhanced by the addition of 4 μM riboflavin, which specifically accelerates the electron uptake process of MR‐1 by the interaction to its outer‐membrane c‐type cytochromes. The significant impact of an uncoupler agent and a mutant strain of MR‐1 lacking sole F‐type ATPase suggested the importance of proton import to the cytoplasm for the cathodic CO₂ reduction. The present data suggest that MR‐1 potentially serves as a model system for microbial electrosynthesis from CO₂.     

Achieving Simultaneous CO2 and H2S Conversion via a Coupled Solar‐Driven Electrochemical Approach on Non‐Precious‐Metal Catalysts

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) are generally concomitant with methane (CH₄) in natural gas and traditionally deemed useless or even harmful. Developing strategies that can simultaneously convert both CO₂ and H₂S into value‐added products is attractive; however it has not received enough attention. A solar‐driven electrochemical process is demonstrated using graphene‐encapsulated zinc oxide catalyst for CO₂ reduction and graphene catalyst for H₂S oxidation mediated by EDTA‐Fe²⁺/EDTA‐Fe³⁺ redox couples. The as‐prepared solar‐driven electrochemical system can realize the simultaneous conversion of CO₂ and H₂S into carbon monoxide and elemental sulfur at near neutral conditions with high stability and selectivity. This conceptually provides an alternative avenue for the purification of natural gas with added economic and environmental benefits.     

Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Acetic Acid by a Molecular Manganese Corrole Complex

The controlled electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to value added chemicals is an important strategy in terms of renewable energy technologies. Therefore, the development of efficient and stable catalysts in an aqueous environment is of great importance. In this context, we focused on synthesizing and studying a molecular Mn^III‐corrole complex, which is modified on the three meso‐positions with polyethylene glycol moieties for direct and selective production of acetic acid from CO₂. Electrochemical reduction of Mn^III leads to an electroactive Mn^II species, which binds CO₂ and stabilizes the reduced intermediates. This catalyst allows to electrochemically reduce CO₂ to acetic acid in a moderate acidic aqueous medium (pH 6) with a selectivity of 63 % and a turn over frequency (TOF) of 8.25 h^?1, when immobilized on a carbon paper (CP) electrode. In terms of high selectivity towards acetate, we propose the formation and reduction of an oxalate type intermediate, stabilized at the Mn^III‐corrole center.     

Controllable Synthesis of Few‐Layer Bismuth Subcarbonate by Electrochemical Exfoliation for Enhanced CO2 Reduction Performance

Two‐dimensional (2D) engineering of materials has been recently explored to enhance the performance of electrocatalysts by reducing their dimensionality and introducing more catalytically active ones. In this work, controllable synthesis of few‐layer bismuth subcarbonate nanosheets has been achieved via an electrochemical exfoliation method. These nanosheets catalyse CO₂ reduction to formate with high faradaic efficiency and high current density at a low overpotential owing to the 2D structure and co‐existence of bismuth subcarbonate and bismuth metal under catalytic turnover conditions. Two underlying fast electron transfer processes revealed by Fourier‐transformed alternating current voltammetry (FTacV) are attributed to CO₂ reduction at bismuth subcarbonate and bismuth metal. FTacV results also suggest that protonation of CO₂^.? is the rate determining step for bismuth catalysed CO₂ reduction.     

A Highly Selective Copper–Indium Bimetallic Electrocatalyst for the Electrochemical Reduction of Aqueous CO2 to CO

The challenge in the electrochemical reduction of aqueous carbon dioxide is in designing a highly selective, energy‐efficient, and non‐precious‐metal electrocatalyst that minimizes the competitive reduction of proton to form hydrogen during aqueous CO₂ conversion. A non‐noble metal electrocatalyst based on a copper‐indium (Cu‐In) alloy that selectively converts CO₂ to CO with a low overpotential is reported. The electrochemical deposition of In on rough Cu surfaces led to Cu‐In alloy surfaces. DFT calculations showed that the In preferentially located on the edge sites rather than on the corner or flat sites and that the d‐electron nature of Cu remained almost intact, but adsorption properties of neighboring Cu was perturbed by the presence of In. This preparation of non‐noble metal alloy electrodes for the reduction of CO₂ provides guidelines for further improving electrocatalysis.     

Efficient Reduction of CO2 into Formic Acid on a Lead or Tin Electrode using an Ionic Liquid Catholyte Mixture

Highly efficient electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into value‐added chemicals using cheap and easily prepared electrodes is environmentally and economically compelling. The first work on the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ in ternary electrolytes containing ionic liquid, organic solvent, and H₂O is described. Addition of a small amount of H₂O to an ionic liquid/acetonitrile electrolyte mixture significantly enhanced the efficiency of the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into formic acid (HCOOH) on a Pb or Sn electrode, and the efficiency was extremely high using an ionic liquid/acetonitrile/H₂O ternary mixture. The partial current density for HCOOH reached 37.6 mA cm^?2 at a Faradaic efficiency of 91.6 %, which is much higher than all values reported to date for this reaction, including those using homogeneous and noble metal electrocatalysts. The reasons for such high efficiency were investigated using controlled experiments.     

Ag@Au Core‐Shell Nanowires for Nearly 100 % CO2‐to‐CO Electroreduction

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to CO is regarded as an efficient method to utilize the greenhouse gas CO₂, because the CO product can be further converted into high value‐added chemicals via the Fisher–Tropsch process. Among all electrocatalysts used for CO₂‐to‐CO reduction, Au‐based catalysts have been demonstrated to possess high selectivity, but their precious price limits their future large‐scale applications. Thus, simultaneously achieving high selectivity and reasonable price is of great importance for the development of Au‐based catalysts. Here, we report Ag@Au core–shell nanowires as electrocatalyst for CO₂ reduction, in which a nanometer‐thick Au film is uniformly deposited on the core Ag nanowire. Importantly, the Ag@Au catalyst with a relative low Au content can drive CO generation with nearly 100 % Faraday efficiency in 0.1 m KCl electrolyte at an overpotential of ca. ?1.0 V. This high selectivity of CO₂ reduction could be attributed to a suitable adsorption strength for the key intermediate on Au film together with the synergistic effects between the Au shell and Ag core and the strong interaction between CO₂ and Cl^? ions in the electrolyte, which may further pave the way for the development of high‐efficiency electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction.     

Transition Metal Nitrides as Promising Catalyst Supports for Tuning CO/H2 Syngas Production from Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to produce synthesis gas (syngas) with tunable CO/H₂ ratios has been studied by supporting Pd catalysts on transition metal nitride (TMN) substrates. Combining experimental measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, Pd‐modified niobium nitride (Pd/NbN) is found to generate much higher CO and H₂ partial current densities and greater CO Faradaic efficiency than Pd‐modified vanadium nitride (Pd/VN) and commercial Pd/C catalysts. In‐situ X‐ray diffraction identifies the formation of PdH in Pd/NbN and Pd/C under CO₂RR conditions, whereas the Pd in Pd/VN is not fully transformed into the active PdH phase. DFT calculations show that the stabilized *HOCO and weakened *CO intermediates on PdH/NbN are critical to achieving higher CO₂RR activity. This work suggests that NbN is a promising substrate to modify Pd, resulting in an enhanced electrochemical conversion of CO₂ to syngas with a potential reduction in precious metal loading.     

In Situ Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Cobalt‐Phthalocyanine‐Catalyzed CO2 Reduction Reaction

We report a molecular investigation of a cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc)‐catalyzed CO₂ reduction reaction by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). An ordered adlayer of CoPc was prepared on Au(111). Approximately 14 % of the adsorbed species appeared with high contrast in a CO₂‐purged electrolyte environment. The ECSTM experiments indicate the proportion of high‐contrast species correlated with the reduction of Co^IIPc (?0.2 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE)). The high‐contrast species is ascribed to the CoPc‐CO₂ complex, which is further confirmed by theoretical simulation. The sharp contrast change from CoPc‐CO₂ to CoPc is revealed by in situ ECSTM characterization of the reaction. Potential step experiments provide dynamic information for the initial stage of the reaction, which include the reduction of CoPc and the binding of CO₂, and the latter is the rate‐limiting step. The rate constant of the formation and dissociation of CoPc‐CO₂ is estimated on the basis of the in situ ECSTM experiment.     

Copper-based metal-organic frameworks for electrochemical reduction of CO2

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂ER) is an emerging process that involves utilizing CO₂ to produce valuable chemicals and fuels by consuming excess electricity from renewable sources. Recently, Cu and Cu-based nanoparticles, as earth-abundant and economical metal sources, have been attracting significant interest. The chemical and physical properties of Cu-based nanoparticles are modified by different strategies, and CO₂ can be converted into multicarbon products. Among various Cu-based nanoparticles, Cu-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are gaining increasing interest in the field of catalysis because of their textural, topological, and electrocatalytic properties. In this minireview, we summarized and highlighted the main achievements in the research on Cu-based MOFs and their advantages in the CO₂ER as electrocatalysts, supports, or precursors.     

Role of the Adsorbed Oxygen Species in the Selective Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to Alcohols and Carbonyls on Copper Electrodes

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into fuels has gained significant attention recently as source of renewable carbon‐based fuels. The unique high selectivity of copper in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to hydrocarbons has called much interest in discovering its mechanism. In order to provide significant information about the role of oxygen in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ on Cu electrodes, the conditions of the surface structure and the composition of the Cu single crystal electrodes were controlled over time. This was achieved using pulsed voltammetry, since the pulse sequence can be programmed to guarantee reproducible initial conditions for the reaction at every fraction of time and at a given frequency. In contrast to the selectivity of CO₂ reduction using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric methods, a large selection of oxygenated hydrocarbons was found under alternating voltage conditions. Product selectivity towards the formation of oxygenated hydrocarbon was associated to the coverage of oxygen species, which is surface‐structure‐ and potential‐dependent.     

Direct Electrochemical Capture and Release of Carbon Dioxide Using an Industrial Organic Pigment: Quinacridone

Limiting anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions constitutes a major issue faced by scientists today. Herein we report an efficient way of controlled capture and release of carbon dioxide using nature inspired, cheap, abundant and non‐toxic, industrial pigment namely, quinacridone. An electrochemically reduced electrode consisting of a quinacridone thin film (ca. 100 nm thick)on an ITO support forms a quinacridone carbonate salt. The captured CO₂ can be released by electrochemical oxidation. The amount of captured CO₂ was quantified by FT‐IR. The uptake value for electrochemical release process was 4.61 mmol g^?1. This value is among the highest reported uptake efficiencies for electrochemical CO₂ capture. For comparison, the state‐of‐the‐art aqueous amine industrial capture process has an uptake efficiency of ca. 8 mmol g^?1.     

Review on electrochemical carbon dioxide capture and transformation with bipolar membranes

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide(CO₂ ) emission from the combustion of fossil fuels aggravates the global greenhouse effect. The implementation of CO₂ capture and transformation technologies have recently received great attention for providing a pathway in dealing with global climate change. Among these technologies, electrochemical CO₂ capture technology has attracted wide attention because of its environmental friendliness and flexible operating processes. Bipolar ...     

Overall Carbon-neutral Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 in Molten Salts using a Liquid Metal Sn Cathode

An overall carbon-neutral CO₂ electroreduction requires enhanced conversion efficiency and intensified functionality of CO₂-derived products to balance the carbon footprint from CO₂ electroreduction against fixed CO₂. A liquid Sn cathode is herein introduced into electrochemical reduction of CO₂ in molten salts to fabricate core–shell Sn−C spheres (Sn@C). An in situ generated Li₂SnO₃/C directs a self-template formation of Sn@C. Benefitting from the accelerated reaction kinetics from the liquid Sn cathode and the core–shell structure of Sn@C, a CO₂-fixation current efficiency higher than 84 % and a high reversible lithium-storage capacity of Sn@C are achieved. The versatility of this strategy is demonstrated by other low melting point metals, such as Zn and Bi. This process integrates energy-efficient CO₂ conversion and template-free fabrication of value-added metal-carbon, achieving an overall carbon-neutral electrochemical reduction of CO₂.     

Three-phase electrochemistry for green ethylene production

The electrochemical conversion of greenhouse gases (mainly CO₂ and CH₄) into ethylene has attracted worldwide attention. Compared with thermal cracking and dehydrogenation ethylene production processes, electrochemical ethylene production is an energy-saving and environmentally friendly process with high atom and energy economies. Great efforts have been made in enhancing the performance of electrochemical CO_x reduction and alkane dehydrogenation reactions in recent years. The complicated interactions between gas reactants, electrolytes, and catalysts force the three-phase interface mass transfer process an important issue in determining the electrochemical activity and product selectivity. Herein, we summarize the recent progresses on electrochemical ethylene production. Special attention has been paid to the principles for the design of gas–liquid–solid and gas–solid–solid three-phase interfaces and their influence on the electrochemical CO_x reduction and alkane dehydrogenation reactions. The comprehensive understanding of those different ethylene production reactions together from the perspective of the three-phase interface-related mass transfer process would provide new insights into the design of advanced electrochemical cells for green ethylene production.     

Nanostructures for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

One of the most effective ways to cope with the problems of global warming and the energy shortage crisis is to develop renewable and clean energy sources. To achieve a carbon-neutral energy cycle, advanced carbon sequestration technologies are urgently needed, but because CO₂ is a thermodynamically stable molecule with the highest carbon valence state of +4, this process faces many challenges. In recent years, electrochemical CO₂ reduction has become a promising approach to fix and convert CO₂ into high-value-added fuels and chemical feedstock. However, the large-scale commercial use of electrochemical CO₂ reduction systems is hindered by poor electrocatalyst activity, large overpotential, low energy conversion efficiency, and product selectivity in reducing CO₂. Therefore, there is an urgent need to rationally design highly efficient, stable, and scalable electrocatalysts to alleviate these problems. This minireview also aims to classify heterogeneous nanostructured electrocatalysts for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CDRR).