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Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
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Silica-copper catalyst interfaces enable carbon-carbon coupling towards ethylene electrosynthesis
Jun Li1,2, Adnan Ozden1, Mingyu Wan3
1Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Nature Communications
|May 15, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a new copper-silica catalyst (Cu-SiOx) to improve CO2 conversion to ethylene in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolyzers. This innovation enhances ethylene production efficiency and stability for a greener carbon cycle.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
- Materials Science
- Carbon Capture and Utilization
Background:
- Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolyzers are crucial for scaling up CO2 electroconversion using renewable energy.
- Current MEA systems face challenges with excessive CO2 coverage and limited active sites, hindering efficient ethylene production.
- The carbon-carbon coupling reaction, vital for ethylene formation, is negatively impacted by these limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an oxide modulation strategy to enhance CO2-to-ethylene electroconversion efficiency in MEA electrolyzers.
- To create novel active catalytic sites at the copper-silica interface (Cu-SiOx) for improved ethylene synthesis.
- To investigate the impact of these catalysts on key reaction intermediates and overall performance.
Main Methods:
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to understand reaction mechanisms and intermediate formation energies.
- Spectroscopic analysis was used to characterize the catalyst structure and active sites.
- Cu-SiOx catalysts were synthesized via one-pot coprecipitation and integrated into MEA electrolyzers.
Main Results:
- The Cu-SiOx interface sites were shown to decrease formation energies of critical intermediates (OCOH* and OCCOH*) for ethylene production.
- The optimized Cu-SiOx catalyst in an MEA electrolyzer achieved high ethylene Faradaic efficiencies (up to 65%).
- High ethylene current densities (up to 215 mA cm-2) and sustained operation (>50 h) were demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- The oxide modulation strategy effectively creates active Cu-SiOx interface sites, significantly improving CO2-to-ethylene conversion.
- The developed Cu-SiOx catalysts offer a promising solution for efficient and stable ethylene production in MEA electrolyzers.
- This approach contributes to advancing carbon capture and utilization technologies for closing the anthropogenic carbon cycle.
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