Low-cost high-efficiency system for solar-driven conversion of CO2 to hydrocarbons.

Conversion of carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons using solar energy is an attractive strategy for storing such a renewable source of energy into the form of chemical energy (a fuel). This can be achieved in a system coupling a photovoltaic (PV) cell to an electrochemical cell (EC) for CO2 reduction. To be beneficial and applicable, such a system should use low-cost and easily processable photovoltaic cells and display minimal energy losses associated with the catalysts at the anode and cathode and with the electrolyzer device. In this work, we have considered all of these parameters altogether to set up a reference PV-EC system for CO2 reduction to hydrocarbons. By using the same original and efficient Cu-based catalysts at both electrodes of the electrolyzer, and by minimizing all possible energy losses associated with the electrolyzer device, we have achieved CO2 reduction to ethylene and ethane with a 21% energy efficiency. Coupled with a state-of-the-art, low-cost perovskite photovoltaic minimodule, this system reaches a 2.3% solar-to-hydrocarbon efficiency, setting a benchmark for an inexpensive all-earth-abundant PV-EC system.

Bio-inspired hydrophobicity promotes CO2 reduction on a Cu surface.

The aqueous electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 into alcohol and hydrocarbon fuels presents a sustainable route towards energy-rich chemical feedstocks. Cu is the only material able to catalyse the substantial formation of multicarbon products (C2/C3), but competing proton reduction to hydrogen is an ever-present drain on selectivity. Here, a superhydrophobic surface was generated by 1-octadecanethiol treatment of hierarchically structured Cu dendrites, inspired by the structure of gas-trapping cuticles on subaquatic spiders. The hydrophobic electrode attained a 56% Faradaic efficiency for ethylene and 17% for ethanol production at neutral pH, compared to 9% and 4% on a hydrophilic, wettable equivalent. These observations are assigned to trapped gases at the hydrophobic Cu surface, which increase the concentration of CO2 at the electrode-solution interface and consequently increase CO2 reduction selectivity. Hydrophobicity is thus proposed as a governing factor in CO2 reduction selectivity and can help explain trends seen on previously reported electrocatalysts.

Oxygenic Photoreactivity in Photosystem II Studied by Rotating Ring Disk Electrochemistry.

Protein film photoelectrochemistry has previously been used to monitor the activity of photosystem II, the water-plastoquinone photooxidoreductase, but the mechanistic information attainable from a three-electrode setup has remained limited. Here we introduce the four-electrode rotating ring disk electrode technique for quantifying light-driven reaction kinetics and mechanistic pathways in real time at the enzyme-electrode interface. This setup allows us to study photochemical H2O oxidation in photosystem II and to gain an in-depth understanding of pathways that generate reactive oxygen species. The results show that photosystem II reacts with O2 through two main pathways that both involve a superoxide intermediate to produce H2O2. The first pathway involves the established chlorophyll triplet-mediated formation of singlet oxygen, which is followed by its reduction to superoxide at the electrode surface. The second pathway is specific for the enzyme/electrode interface: an exposed antenna chlorophyll is sufficiently close to the electrode for rapid injection of an electron to form a highly reducing chlorophyll anion, which reacts with O2 in solution to produce O2•-. Incomplete H2O oxidation does not significantly contribute to reactive oxygen formation in our conditions. The rotating ring disk electrode technique allows the chemical reactivity of photosystem II to be studied electrochemically and opens several avenues for future investigation.

Designing a Zn-Ag Catalyst Matrix and Electrolyzer System for CO2 Conversion to CO and Beyond.

CO2 emissions can be transformed into high-added-value commodities through CO2 electrocatalysis; however, efficient low-cost electrocatalysts are needed for global scale-up. Inspired by other emerging technologies, the authors report the development of a gas diffusion electrode containing highly dispersed Ag sites in a low-cost Zn matrix. This catalyst shows unprecedented Ag mass activity for CO production: -614 mA cm-2 at 0.17 mg of Ag. Subsequent electrolyte engineering demonstrates that halide anions can further improve stability and activity of the Zn-Ag catalyst, outperforming pure Ag and Au. Membrane electrode assemblies are constructed and coupled to a microbial process that converts the CO to acetate and ethanol. Combined, these concepts present pathways to design catalysts and systems for CO2 conversion toward sought-after products.

Coupling Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction with Thermocatalysis Enables the Formation of a Lactone Monomer.

Carbonylation reactions that generate high-value chemical feedstocks are integral to the formation of many industrially significant compounds. However, these processes require the use of CO, which is invariably derived from fossil-fuel-reforming reactions. CO may also be generated through the electroreduction of CO2 , but the coupling of these two processes is yet to be considered. Merging electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO with thermocatalytic use of CO would expand the range of the chemicals produced from CO2 . This work describes the development of a system coupling a high-pressure CO2 electrolytic cell containing a bimetallic ZnAg catalyst at the cathode for production of CO with a reactor with a Faradaic efficiency of >90 % where high pressure CO is used for carbonylating propylene oxide into ß-butyrolactone by thermal catalysis, the latter step having a reaction yield above 80 %. Although the production of monomers and polymers from CO2 is currently limited to organic carbonates, this strategy opens up the access to lactones from CO2 , for the formation of polyesters.

Highlights from Faraday Discussion: Artificial Photosynthesis, Cambridge, UK, March 2019.

This Faraday Discussion was held on March 25-27th, 2019 at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, UK and was attended by 160 delegates from over 20 countries. The attendees represented the cross-disciplinary nature of the field, with biologists, engineers, material scientists, theoreticians and experimental chemists of all experience levels coming together to discuss the state of the art. The meeting captured how rapidly the field of artificial photosynthesis has progressed in a short time and highlighted how far we still have to go. In this conference report, the topics of discussion will be outlined with a brief description of the papers presented and a summary of the conference events.

Zn-Cu Alloy Nanofoams as Efficient Catalysts for the Reduction of CO2 to Syngas Mixtures with a Potential-Independent H2 /CO Ratio.

Alloying strategies are commonly used to design electrocatalysts that take on properties of their constituent elements. Herein, such a strategy is used to develop Zn-Cu alloyed electrodes with unique hierarchical porosity and tunable selectivity for CO2 versus H+ reduction. By varying the Zn/Cu ratio, tailored syngas mixtures are obtained without the production of other gaseous products, which is attributed to preferential CO- and H2 -forming pathways on the alloys. The syngas ratios are also significantly less sensitive to the applied potential in the alloys relative to pure metal equivalents; an essential quality when coupling electrocatalysis with renewable power sources that have fluctuating intensity. As such, industrially relevant syngas ratios are achieved at large currents (-60 mA) for extensive operating times (>9 h), demonstrating the potential of this strategy for fossil-free fuel production.