Architecting Hierarchically Porous Electrocatalyst for Direct Liquid Carbon Utilization.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and utilization (CCU) are critical for mitigating emissions and valorizing CO2.
• Integrating CO2 capture with upgrading processes can reduce energy and economic costs.
• Developing efficient catalysts is key to advancing CCU technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To architect a hierarchically porous N-doped carbon-supported Ni catalyst (Ni-HP) for reactive CO2 capture.
• To investigate the catalyst's performance in CO2 conversion to syngas.
• To provide insights into the catalytic activity and guide integrated carbon management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of hierarchically porous N-doped carbon-supported Ni catalyst (Ni-HP).
• Electrochemical characterization of the catalyst for CO2 capture and conversion.
• Cyclic operation testing under simulated flue gas conditions.

Main Results:

• The Ni-HP catalyst achieved a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) exceeding 90% for CO production.
• The catalyst demonstrated stable syngas production for over 60 hours of cyclic operation.
• Hierarchical porous structures enhanced active site exposure and mass transfer.

Conclusions:

• The developed Ni-HP catalyst is highly effective for integrated CO2 capture and utilization.
• This work offers electrochemical guidance for rational integration of reactive CO2 capture in carbon management.
• The study provides insights into the catalytic activity of porous carbon-based catalysts.