New trends in the development of heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical CO​2​ reduction

Potential energy-rich fuels and chemicals produced by the electrochemical conversion of carbon
dioxide (CO​2​) has led to progression in electrochemical CO​2 reduction, which promotes the use of
renewable energy sources such as solar and wind as well as reducing the global atmospherical CO​2
concentration. It is a process that enables the recycling of CO​2​, which helps in preventing the rising
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and allows the storage of electricity generation in
portable forms. However, CO​2 is unstable enough to require a large overpotential in order to commence
with the reduction; hence, there have been various attempts at developing catalysts with adequate
activity and selectivity to make it more efficient.

Energy consumption is rapidly increasing and is projected to more than double by 2050. The
United
Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that a 50–85% reduction of
global CO2 emissions is needed to limit the long-term global mean temperature rise to 2.0–2.4 ◦C. Two
main approaches in dealing with CO​2 reduction are geological sequestration and molecular conversion;
since geological sequestration on the environment could lead to leakage in the long-term, the latter is a
more attractive process. The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction can be promoted by using either
homogenous or heterogeneous catalysts.

On the whole, CO​2 reduction competes with hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) that occurs at a
comparable thermodynamic potential, making it challenging for efficient and selective CO​2
electrochemical reduction. Ideal electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction should minimize the activation
barrier for CO2RR relative to HER, driving CO2 reduction selectively at low overpotential with high
reaction rates.

Most common, single-element metallic electrodes have been investigated for CO2RR
electrocatalysis in bulk polycrystalline form. Besides polycrystalline metals, single-crystal surfaces of
some catalysts (e.g., Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, etc.) have also been broadly studied in different electrolytes allowing
identification of which type of crystal surface is more active. Increasingly research efforts have focused
toward investigating new types of catalytic active sites or structures to enhance the efficiency of the
electrochemical CO2 reduction process. Geometry, morphology, roughness, and the size of catalyst
particles can have dramatic influence on the activity and product selectivity during CO2 reduction,
followed by the production of new catalyst types.

The recent catalyst advances described herein provide strategies for improving the activity and
control of the CO2 reduction reaction. The future direction of fundamental research relies in the
production of more catalysts relying on the understanding of the mechanistic activity to promote more
complex molecules with less energy lost to overcome kinetic barriers. Fundamental understanding of
the reaction pathways on proposed advanced catalysts will further help to enhance the catalytic activity,
product selectivity, and durability of the system.

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References:

B. Kumar, et al., New trends in the development of heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical CO2
reduction, Catal. Today (2016), ​http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2016.02.006

M.v.d. Hoeven, World Energy Outlook Special Report 2015: Energy and Climate Change, in: I.E. Agency
(Ed.), (2015).

M. Mikkelsen, M. Jorgensen, F.C. Krebs, The teraton challenge. A review of fixation and transformation
of carbon dioxide, Energy Environ. Sci. 3 (2010) 43–81.

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