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Enhanced Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol Using Zinc Dendrites Pulse‐Deposited on Silver Foam
Author(s) -
Low Qi Hang,
Loo Nicholas Wei Xian,
CalleVallejo Federico,
Yeo Boon Siang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201810991
Subject(s) - methanol , catalysis , faraday efficiency , formaldehyde , zinc , carbon dioxide , materials science , chemical engineering , adsorption , carbon fibers , electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , electrochemistry , organic chemistry , metallurgy , electrode , composite material , carbon monoxide , composite number , engineering
The electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) can dynamise the carbon cycle by lowering anthropogenic CO 2 emissions and sustainably producing valuable fuels and chemical feedstocks. Methanol is arguably the most desirable C 1 product of CO 2 RR, although it typically forms in negligible amounts. In our search for efficient methanol‐producing CO 2 RR catalysts, we have engineered Ag‐Zn catalysts by pulse‐depositing Zn dendrites onto Ag foams (PD‐Zn/Ag foam). By themselves, Zn and Ag cannot effectively reduce CO 2 to CH 3 OH, while their alloys produce CH 3 OH with Faradaic efficiencies of approximately 1 %. Interestingly, with nanostructuring PD‐Zn/Ag foam reduces CO 2 to CH 3 OH with Faradaic efficiency and current density values reaching as high as 10.5 % and −2.7 mA cm −2 , respectively. Control experiments and DFT calculations pinpoint strained undercoordinated Zn atoms as the active sites for CO 2 RR to CH 3 OH in a reaction pathway mediated by adsorbed CO and formaldehyde. Surprisingly, the stability of the *CHO intermediate does not influence the activity.