Room Temperature Electrochemical Upgrading of Methane to Oxygenate Fuels

This program supports the Office of Basic Energy Sciences mission to control energy-relevant molecular transformations. Specifically, this program focuses on the design and understanding of the reaction pathways involved in the near room temperature electrochemical activation of methane and synthesis of small molecule organic molecules such as methanol. Aqueous, low temperature (25°C–220°C) methane electrochemistry has been studied extensively since the 1960s. Acid reactions typically result in the either no reaction or complete oxidation to CO2, and alkaline transformations have been ineffective because OHanions tend to oxidize species by accepting protons rather than donating oxygen – giving OH anions a limited ability to attack methane. The lack of an efficient alkaline oxygen donor has severely handicapped the low temperature electrochemical conversion of methane to syngas.