Silver and Copper Nitride Cooperate for CO Electroreduction to Propanol

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis
• Materials Science

Background:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a potential feedstock for the chemical industry, but its direct electroreduction (CO2R) faces challenges with carbon loss due to carbonate formation.
• Tandem CO2R processes, involving CO2 reduction to CO followed by CO electroreduction (COR), minimize carbon loss and are gaining attention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel catalyst for efficient CO electroreduction (COR) to valuable organic compounds.
• To investigate the selectivity and performance of a silver-doped copper nitride catalyst for propanol synthesis.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of a silver-doped copper nitride catalyst.
• Electrochemical reduction of carbon monoxide (CO) in gas-fed flow cells.
• Experimental and computational analysis to understand catalytic mechanisms.

Main Results:

• The novel copper-based catalyst demonstrated record selectivity for propanol formation (45% Faradaic efficiency) from CO electroreduction.
• High selectivity for C2+ liquid products (80% Faradaic efficiency) was achieved.
• Silver doping was found to promote selective propanol formation at metallic copper sites derived from copper nitride.

Conclusions:

• Silver-doped copper nitride is a highly effective catalyst for selective propanol production via CO electroreduction.
• This catalyst design offers a promising pathway for producing C3 compounds from CO2, contributing to sustainable chemical manufacturing.
• The findings open new avenues for designing advanced catalysts for CO2 utilization.