October 29, 2024 by TranSpread
Collected at: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-solar-power-valuable-formate.html
As the impacts of climate change grow more urgent, the need for effective carbon capture and utilization has become paramount. Among the various strategies, electrochemical converting carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction offers a promising way to convert CO2 into useful fuels or chemicals at ambient temperatures.
However, existing methods often struggle with poor selectivity and competition from hydrogen evolution reactions, limiting their efficiency. Overcoming these challenges requires the development of new catalysts that can significantly enhance the conversion process, making this field become a critical area for research.
A study, conducted by researchers from the International Research Center for Renewable Energy at Xi’an Jiaotong University, and published in eScience, highlights the development of an indium-based heterojunction (i.e., In/In2O3) catalyst that enhances formate production through a synergistic effect of oxygen species and vacancies. By improving both the efficiency and selectivity of the reaction, the study marks a significant step forward in the field of CO2 electroreduction.
The research team designed the In/In2O3 heterojunction catalyst with varying levels of oxygen species and vacancies, crucial factors in the improved performance. Using in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), the team confirmed that the catalyst followed the *COOH pathway, which was highly selective for formate production.
Theoretical models revealed that the energy barrier for *COOH formation decreased significantly in the presence of oxygen vacancies, achieving more than 90% formate selectivity. When powered by photovoltaics, the system reached a solar-to-fuel efficiency of 10.11%, outperforming previous technologies.
This high efficiency underscores the catalyst’s potential for future applications in renewable energy systems, particularly in electrochemical CO2 reduction.
Professor Liejin Guo, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the senior researcher, stated, “Our research demonstrates a critical advancement in CO2 reduction technology. The synergy between oxygen species and vacancies in our novel catalyst has led to a dramatic increase in both selectivity and efficiency. This paves a way for practical applications in sustainable energy conversion.”
The potential applications of this research are vast, especially in the renewable energy sector. The ability to efficiently convert CO2 into formate could lead to the development of more sustainable energy systems, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels. Additionally, the use of solar energy to drive the reaction suggests that this technology could seamlessly integrate with existing renewable infrastructures, offering a promising future for carbon recycling initiatives.
More information: Tengfei Ma et al, Synergistic effect of oxygen species and vacancy for enhanced electrochemical CO2 conversion to formate on indium oxide, eScience (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2024.100246
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