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Published on: August 23, 2018
Hetero-Solvent Microenvironment for Selective CO2 to Ethanol Electrolysis via Interfacial Water Control.
Dohun Kim1, Suyun Lee1, Seeun Jung2
1Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea.
Nano-Micro Letters
|July 3, 2026
Summary
Controlling interfacial water via diglyme confinement enhances selective electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) to ethanol. This strategy suppresses hydrogen evolution, enabling efficient, high-current CO2 electrolysis.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
- Sustainable Chemistry
Background:
- Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) is a promising sustainable chemical production route.
- Water as a proton source for CO2RR also promotes hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), hindering efficiency.
- Interfacial water properties are critical but often overlooked in CO2RR catalyst design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of interfacial water in selective CO2-to-ethanol electrolysis.
- To develop a strategy for suppressing HER and enhancing ethanol production during CO2RR.
- To establish interfacial water as a tunable parameter for catalyst design.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a hetero-solvent microenvironment with diglyme (DiG) near a copper (Cu) catalyst.
- Employed in situ infrared absorption spectroscopy to study interfacial water.
- Performed theoretical calculations to understand reaction mechanisms.
- Tested the strategy with Cu-Ag bimetallic catalysts and under various electrolyte conditions.
Main Results:
- Confining diglyme near the Cu catalyst suppressed HER by strengthening interfacial water hydrogen-bonding.
- The modulated water network hindered ethylene formation, favoring ethanol production.
- Achieved high ethanol partial current density (184.2 mA cm⁻²) at low cell voltage (3.6 V) under neutral conditions.
- Demonstrated the strategy's applicability to Cu-Ag catalysts.
Conclusions:
- Interfacial water is a crucial design parameter for selective CO2RR.
- Hetero-solvent microenvironment engineering effectively controls interfacial water properties.
- This approach offers a viable pathway for efficient and selective electrochemical conversion of CO2 to ethanol.
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