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Wang M, Wang B, Zhang J, Xi S, Ling N, Mi Z, Yang Q, Zhang M, Leow WR, Zhang J, Lum Y. Acidic media enables oxygen-tolerant electrosynthesis of multicarbon products from simulated flue gas. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1218. [PMID: 38336956 PMCID: PMC10858036 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45527-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Renewable electricity powered electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) offers a valuable method to close the carbon cycle and reduce our overreliance on fossil fuels. However, high purity CO2 is usually required as feedstock, which potentially decreases the feasibility and economic viability of the process. Direct conversion of flue gas is an attractive option but is challenging due to the low CO2 concentration and the presence of O2 impurities. As a result, up to 99% of the applied current can be lost towards the undesired oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we show that acidic electrolyte can significantly suppress ORR on Cu, enabling generation of multicarbon products from simulated flue gas. Using a composite Cu and carbon supported single-atom Ni tandem electrocatalyst, we achieved a multicarbon Faradaic efficiency of 46.5% at 200 mA cm-2, which is ~20 times higher than bare Cu under alkaline conditions. We also demonstrate stable performance for 24 h with a multicarbon product full-cell energy efficiency of 14.6%. Strikingly, this result is comparable to previously reported acidic CO2R systems using pure CO2. Our findings demonstrate a potential pathway towards designing efficient electrolyzers for direct conversion of flue gas to value-added chemicals and fuels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore, 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Bingqing Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Republic of Singapore.
| | - Jiguang Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore, 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Shibo Xi
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Singapore, 627833, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ning Ling
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ziyu Mi
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Singapore, 627833, Republic of Singapore
| | - Qin Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Republic of Singapore
| | - Mingsheng Zhang
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore, 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Wan Ru Leow
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Singapore, 627833, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jia Zhang
- Institute of High Performance Computing, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), 1 Fusionopolis Way, #16-16 Connexis, Singapore, 138632, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yanwei Lum
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Republic of Singapore.
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore, 138634, Republic of Singapore.
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