Determination of local pH in CO₂ electroreduction.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) is a key technology for renewable energy storage and CO2 utilization.
• The local pH at the electrocatalyst surface significantly influences CO2 electroreduction selectivity and activity.
• Understanding this local pH is essential for optimizing catalyst performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in localized pH probe strategies for CO2 electrolysis.
• To provide a better understanding of the local reaction environment in CO2 reduction.
• To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various pH probe techniques.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on localized pH probes for CO2 electrolysis.
• Analysis of pH probing strategies in H-type cell reactors and GDE-type flow electrolyzers.
• Discussion of different localized pH probe techniques.

Main Results:

• Recent advances in localized pH probe strategies for CO2 electrolysis have been presented.
• A better understanding of the local reaction environment in CO2 reduction is achieved.
• Advantages and drawbacks of different localized pH probe techniques are discussed.

Conclusions:

• Localized pH determination is highly desirable for elucidating the effect of pH on CO2 electroreduction mechanisms.
• Optimized pH probing strategies can lead to improved catalytic CO2 reduction performance.
• Future research should focus on further developing and applying these techniques for enhanced CO2 utilization.