Water‐Enhanced Synthesis of Higher Alcohols from CO2 Hydrogenation over a Pt/Co3O4 Catalyst under Milder Conditions

The effect of water on CO₂ hydrogenation to produce higher alcohols (C₂–C₄) was studied. Pt/Co₃O₄, which had not been used previously for this reaction, was applied as the heterogeneous catalyst. It was found that water and the catalyst had an excellent synergistic effect for promoting the reaction. High selectivity of C₂–C₄ alcohols could be achieved at 140 °C (especially with DMI (1,3‐dimethyl‐2‐imidazolidinone) as co‐solvent), which is a much lower temperature than reported previously. The catalyst could be reused at least five times without reducing the activity and selectivity. D₂O and ¹³CH₃OH labeling experiments indicated that water involved in the reaction and promoted the reaction kinetically, and ethanol was formed via CH₃OH as an intermediate.     

Enhanced Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol Using Zinc Dendrites Pulse‐Deposited on Silver Foam

The electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) can dynamise the carbon cycle by lowering anthropogenic CO₂ emissions and sustainably producing valuable fuels and chemical feedstocks. Methanol is arguably the most desirable C₁ product of CO₂RR, although it typically forms in negligible amounts. In our search for efficient methanol‐producing CO₂RR catalysts, we have engineered Ag‐Zn catalysts by pulse‐depositing Zn dendrites onto Ag foams (PD‐Zn/Ag foam). By themselves, Zn and Ag cannot effectively reduce CO₂ to CH₃OH, while their alloys produce CH₃OH with Faradaic efficiencies of approximately 1 %. Interestingly, with nanostructuring PD‐Zn/Ag foam reduces CO₂ to CH₃OH with Faradaic efficiency and current density values reaching as high as 10.5 % and ?2.7 mA cm^?2, respectively. Control experiments and DFT calculations pinpoint strained undercoordinated Zn atoms as the active sites for CO₂RR to CH₃OH in a reaction pathway mediated by adsorbed CO and formaldehyde. Surprisingly, the stability of the *CHO intermediate does not influence the activity.     

Boosting CO2 Electroreduction on N,P‐Co‐doped Carbon Aerogels

Electroreduction of CO₂ to CO powered by renewable electricity is a possible alternative to synthesizing CO from fossil fuel. However, it is very hard to achieve high current density at high faradaic efficiency (FE). Here, the first use of N,P‐co‐doped carbon aerogels (NPCA) to boost CO₂ reduction to CO is presented. The FE of CO could reach 99.1 % with a partial current density of ?143.6 mA cm^?2, which is one of the highest current densities to date. NPCA has higher electrochemical active area and overall electronic conductivity than that of N‐ or P‐doped carbon aerogels, which favors electron transfer from CO₂ to its radical anion or other key intermediates. By control experiments and theoretical calculations, it is found that the pyridinic N was very active for CO₂ reduction to CO, and co‐doping of P with N hinder the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) significantly, and thus the both current density and FE are very high.     

Amine‐Appended Hierarchical Ca‐A Zeolite for Enhancing CO2/CH4 Selectivity of Mixed‐Matrix Membranes

An amine‐appended hierarchical Ca‐A zeolite that can selectively capture CO₂ was synthesized and incorporated into inexpensive membrane polymers, in particular polyethylene oxide and Matrimid, to design mixed‐matrix membranes with high CO₂/CH₄ selectivities. Binary mixture permeation testing reveals that amine‐appended mesoporous Ca‐A is highly effective in improving CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of polymeric membranes. In particular, the CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of the polyethylene oxide membrane increases from 15 to 23 by incorporating 20 wt % amine‐appended Ca‐A zeolite. Furthermore, the formation of filler/polymer interfacial defects, which is typically found in glassy polymer‐zeolite pairs, is inhibited owing to the interaction between the amine groups on the external surface of zeolites and polymer chains. Our results suggest that the amine‐appended hierarchial Ca‐A, which was utilized in membrane fabrication for the first time, is a good filler material for fabricating a CO₂‐selective mixed‐matrix membrane with defect‐free morphology.     

Microwave‐Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis of [Al(OH)(1,4‐NDC)] Membranes with Superior Separation Performances

In this study, we report a facile ligand‐assisted in situ hydrothermal approach for preparation of compact [Al(OH)(1,4‐NDC)] (1,4‐NDC=1,4‐naphthalenedicarboxylate) MOF membranes on porous γ‐Al₂O₃ substrates, which also served as the Al³⁺ source of MOF membranes. Simultaneously, it was observed that the heating mode exerted significant influence on the final microstructure and separation performance of [Al(OH)(1,4‐NDC)] membranes. Compared with the conventional hydrothermal method, the employment of microwave heating led to the formation of [Al(OH)(1,4‐NDC)] membranes composed of closely packed nanorods with superior H₂/CH₄ selectivity.     

Direct Conversion of Methane with Carbon Dioxide Mediated by RhVO3− Cluster Anions

Direct conversion of methane with carbon dioxide to value‐added chemicals is attractive but extremely challenging because of the thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness of both molecules. Herein, the first dinuclear cluster species, RhVO₃^?, has been designed to mediate the co‐conversion of CH₄ and CO₂ to oxygenated products, CH₃OH and CH₂O, in the temperature range of 393–600 K. The resulting cluster ions RhVO₃CO^? after CH₃OH formation can further desorb the [CO] unit to regenerate the RhVO₃^? cluster, leading to the successful establishment of a catalytic cycle for methanol production from CH₄ and CO₂ (CH₄+CO₂→CH₃OH+CO). The exceptional activity of Rh‐V dinuclear oxide cluster (RhVO₃^?) identified herein provides a new mechanism for co‐conversion of two very stable molecules CH₄ and CO₂.     

Linear End‐On Coordination Modes of CO2

The second case of linear end‐on and evidence for an unprecedented bridging end‐on coordination mode of CO₂ have been discovered for vanadium aryloxide complexes of the tetradentate ligand system (ONNO)^2? (ONNO=2,4‐Me₂‐2‐(OH) C₆H₂CH₂]₂N(CH₂)₂NMe₂). The reaction of divalent (ONNO)V^II (TMEDA) with CO₂ and under the appropriate reaction conditions affords the trivalent (ONNO)V^III(OH)(η¹‐CO₂) resulting from an intermediate CO₂ deoxygenation pathway followed by H‐atom abstraction from the aromatic solvent, and CO₂ fixation. In contrast, the reduction of trivalent (ONNO)V^IIICl(THF) with K, followed by exposure to CO₂ in ethereal solvent, afforded the dinuclear [(ONNO)V^II]₂ (μ_,η¹‐CO₂).     

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.     

One‐Step Reforming of CO2 and CH4 into High‐Value Liquid Chemicals and Fuels at Room Temperature by Plasma‐Driven Catalysis

The conversion of CO₂ with CH₄ into liquid fuels and chemicals in a single‐step catalytic process that bypasses the production of syngas remains a challenge. In this study, liquid fuels and chemicals (e.g., acetic acid, methanol, ethanol, and formaldehyde) were synthesized in a one‐step process from CO₂ and CH₄ at room temperature (30 °C) and atmospheric pressure for the first time by using a novel plasma reactor with a water electrode. The total selectivity to oxygenates was approximately 50–60 %, with acetic acid being the major component at 40.2 % selectivity, the highest value reported for acetic acid thus far. Interestingly, the direct plasma synthesis of acetic acid from CH₄ and CO₂ is an ideal reaction with 100 % atom economy, but it is almost impossible by thermal catalysis owing to the significant thermodynamic barrier. The combination of plasma and catalyst in this process shows great potential for manipulating the distribution of liquid chemical products in a given process.     

A Dinuclear Cobalt Cryptate as a Homogeneous Photocatalyst for Highly Selective and Efficient Visible‐Light Driven CO2 Reduction to CO in CH3CN/H2O Solution

A dinuclear cobalt complex [Co₂(OH)L¹](ClO₄)₃ ( 1 , L¹=N[(CH₂)₂NHCH₂(m ‐C₆H₄)CH₂NH(CH₂)₂]₃N) displays high selectivity and efficiency for the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to CO in CH₃CN/H₂O (v/v=4:1) under a 450 nm LED light irradiation, with a light intensity of 100 mW cm⁻². The selectivity reaches as high as 98 %, and the turnover numbers (TON) and turnover frequencies (TOF) reach as high as 16896 and 0.47 s⁻¹, respectively, with the calculated quantum yield of 0.04 %. Such high activity can be attributed to the synergistic catalysis effect between two Co^II ions within 1 , which is strongly supported by the results of control experiments and DFT calculations.     

Fixierung von CO2 durch Pyrazolylborat‐Zink‐Hydroxid‐Komplexe

Fixation of CO₂ by Pyrazolylborate‐Zinc‐Hydroxide Complexes The reversible uptake of CO₂ by Tp*Zn‐OH complexes in alcoholic solutions with formation of Tp*Zn‐alkylcarbonate complexes was subjected to a comparative study. Its rate and the stability of its products depend on (1) the substituents in the 3‐positions of the pyrazolylborates (phenyl ≈ 3‐pyridyl ? t‐butyl), (2) the alcohol (CH₃OH > C₂H₅OH). Traces of water seem to be essential for the formation of the Tp*Zn‐alkylcarbonates. In solution these are only stable in the presence of CO₂. Two new alkylcarbonate complexes were obtained and characterized by structure determinations.     

UV laser photolysis of silacyclopent‐3‐ene: effect of admixtures on nature of chemically vapour‐deposited organosilicon films

Examination of ArF laser‐induced gas‐phase photolysis of silacyclopent‐3‐ene, occuring as extrusion of silylene, in the presence of admixtures reveals that photolysis is not interfered with in the presence of N₂, CO and CO₂, but it is in the presence of O₂, 2‐C₄F₈, CH₃OH, CD₃OH, CF₃CH₂OH and CH₃CO₂H. Formation of volatile products and solid deposited films incorporating fluorine or oxygen atoms is interpreted in terms of reactions of silylene with the admixtures. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Increasing the CO2/N2 Selectivity with a Higher Surface Density of Pyridinic Lewis Basic Sites in Porous Carbon Derived from a Pyridyl‐Ligand‐Based Metal–Organic Framework

The development of functional porous carbon with high CO₂/N₂ selectivity is of great importance for CO₂ capture. In this paper, a type of porous carbon with doped pyridinic sites (termed MOFC) was prepared from the carbonization of a pyridyl‐ligand based MOF. Four MOFCs derived from different carbonizing temperatures were prepared. Structural studies revealed high contents of pyridinic‐N groups and nearly the same pore‐size distributions for these MOFCs. Gas‐sorption studies revealed outstanding CO₂ uptake at low pressures and room temperature. Owing to the high content of pyridinic‐N groups, the CO₂/N₂ selectivity on these MOFCs exhibits values of about 40–50, which are among the top values in carbon materials. Further correlation studies demonstrated that the CO₂/N₂ selectivities show a positive linear relationship with the surface density of pyridinic‐N groups, thus validating the synergistic effect of the doped pyridinic‐N groups on CO₂ adsorption selectivity.     

Co‐Catalyst‐Free Chemical Fixation of CO2 into Cyclic Carbonates by using Metal‐Organic Frameworks as Efficient Heterogeneous Catalysts

The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere is increasing at an alarming rate resulting in undesirable environmental issues. To mitigate this growing concentration of CO₂, selective carbon capture and storage/sequestration (CCS) are being investigated intensively. However, CCS technology is considered as an expensive and energy‐intensive process. In this context, selective carbon capture and utilization (CCU) as a C1 feedstock to synthesize value‐added chemicals and fuels is a promising step towards lowering the concentration of the atmospheric CO₂ and for the production of high‐value chemicals. Towards this direction, several strategies have been developed to convert CO₂, a Greenhouse gas (GHG) into useful chemicals by forming C?N, C?O, C?C, and C?H bonds. Among the various CO₂ functionalization processes known, the cycloaddition of CO₂ to epoxides has gained considerable interest owing to its 100% atom‐economic nature producing cyclic carbonates or polycarbonates in high yield and selectivity. Among the various classes of catalysts studied for cycloaddition of CO₂ to cyclic carbonates, porous metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained a special interest due to their modular nature facilitating the introduction of a high density of Lewis acidic (LA) and CO₂‐philic Lewis basic (LB) functionalities. However, most of the MOF‐based catalysts reported for cycloaddition of CO₂ to respective cyclic carbonates in high yields require additional co‐catalyst, say tetra‐n‐butylammonium bromide (TBAB). On the contrary, the co‐catalyst‐free conversion of CO₂ using rationally designed MOFs composed of both LA and LB sites is relatively less studied. In this review, we provide a comprehensive account of the research progress in the design of MOF based catalysts for environment‐friendly, co‐catalyst‐free fixation of CO₂ into cyclic carbonates.     

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.     

The hydroxyl radical reaction rate constant and products of 3,5‐dimethyl‐1‐hexyn‐3‐ol

A bimolecular rate constant,k_DHO, of (29 ± 9) × 10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 was measured using the relative rate technique for the reaction of the hydroxyl radical (OH) with 3,5‐dimethyl‐1‐hexyn‐3‐ol (DHO, HC?CC(OH)(CH₃)CH₂CH(CH₃)₂) at (297 ± 3) K and 1 atm total pressure. To more clearly define DHO's indoor environment degradation mechanism, the products of the DHO + OH reaction were also investigated. The positively identified DHO/OH reaction products were acetone ((CH₃)₂C?O), 3‐butyne‐2‐one (3B2O, HC?CC(?O)(CH₃)), 2‐methyl‐propanal (2MP, H(O?)CCH(CH₃)₂), 4‐methyl‐2‐pentanone (MIBK, CH₃C(?O)CH₂CH(CH₃)₂), ethanedial (GLY, HC(?O)C(?O)H), 2‐oxopropanal (MGLY, CH₃C(?O)C(?O)H), and 2,3‐butanedione (23BD, CH₃C(?O)C(?O)CH₃). The yields of 3B2O and MIBK from the DHO/OH reaction were (8.4 ± 0.3) and (26 ± 2)%, respectively. The use of derivatizing agents O‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentalfluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (PFBHA) and N,O‐bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) clearly indicated that several other reaction products were formed. The elucidation of these other reaction products was facilitated by mass spectrometry of the derivatized reaction products coupled with plausible DHO/OH reaction mechanisms based on previously published volatile organic compound/OH gas‐phase reaction mechanisms. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 534–544, 2004     

Metal‐Free Nitrogen‐Doped Mesoporous Carbon for Electroreduction of CO2 to Ethanol

CO₂ electroreduction is a promising technique for satisfying both renewable energy storage and a negative carbon cycle. However, it remains a challenge to convert CO₂ into C2 products with high efficiency and selectivity. Herein, we report a nitrogen‐doped ordered cylindrical mesoporous carbon as a robust metal‐free catalyst for CO₂ electroreduction, enabling the efficient production of ethanol with nearly 100 % selectivity and high faradaic efficiency of 77 % at −0.56 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Experiments and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the synergetic effect of the nitrogen heteroatoms and the cylindrical channel configurations facilitate the dimerization of key CO* intermediates and the subsequent proton–electron transfers, resulting in superior electrocatalytic performance for synthesizing ethanol 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.     

Water‐stable Adenine‐based MOFs with Polar Pores for Selective CO2 Capture

Here, we report two novel water‐stable amine‐functionalized MOFs, namely IISERP‐MOF26 ([NH₂(CH₃)₂][Cu₂O(Ad)(BDC)]?(H₂O)₂(DMA), 1 ) and IISERP‐MOF27 ([NH₂(CH₃)₂]_1/2[Zn₄O(Ad)₃(BDC)₂]?(H₂O)₂(DMF)_1/2, 2 ), which show selective CO₂ capture capabilities. They are made by combining inexpensive and readily available terephthalic acid and N‐rich adenine with Cu and Zn, respectively. They possess 1D channels decorated by the free amine group from the adenine and the polarizing oxygen atoms from the terephthalate units. Even more, there are dimethyl ammonium (DMA⁺) cations in the pore rendering an electrostatic environment within the channels. The activated Cu‐ and Zn‐MOFs physisorb about 2.7 and 2.2 mmol g^?1 of CO₂, respectively, with high CO₂/N₂ and moderate CO₂/CH₄ selectivity. The calculated heat of adsorption (HOA=21–23 kJ mol^?1) for the CO₂ in both MOFs suggest optimal physical interactions which corroborate well with their facile on‐off cycling of CO₂. Notably, both MOFs retain their crystallinity and porosity even after soaking in water for 24 hours as well as upon exposure to steam over 24 hours. The exceptional thermal and chemical stability, favorable CO₂ uptakes and selectivity and low HOA make these MOFs promising sorbents for selective CO₂ capture applications. However, the MOF′s low heat of adsorption despite having a highly CO₂‐loving groups lined walls is quite intriguing.     

Promoting electrochemical reduction of CO2 to ethanol by B/N-doped sp3/sp2 nanocarbon electrode

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to value-added chemicals holds promise for carbon utilization and renewable electricity storage. However, selective CO₂ reduction to multi-carbon fuels remains a significant challenge. Here, we report that B/N-doped sp³/sp² hybridized nanocarbon (BNHC), consisting of ultra-small nanoparticles with a sp³ carbon core covered by a sp² carbon shell, is an efficient electrocatalyst for electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to ethanol at relatively low overpotentials. CO₂ reduction occurs with a Faradaic efficiency of 58.8%-69.1% for ethanol and acetate production at ?0.5 ～ ?0.6 V (vs. RHE), among which 51.6%-56.0% is for ethanol. The high selectivity for ethanol is due to the integrated effect of sp³/sp² carbon and B/N doping. Both sp³ carbon and B/N doping contribute to enhanced ethanol production with sp² carbon reducing the overpotential for CO₂ reduction to ethanol.