Work

Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: CO 2 electrochemical reduction reactions (CO 2 ERR) has shown great promise in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also producing useful chemicals. In this contribution, we describe the CO 2 ERR at different catalysts using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate [emim][EtSO 4 ] ionic liquid (IL) as a solvent and as a supporting electrolyte. CO 2 ERR occurs at Ag and Cu catalysts at a lower overpotential than that at Au, Pt, and boron-doped diamond (BDD) catalysts. In addition, we report that ILs play a better co-catalytic role when used as a supporting electrolyte during CO 2 ERR in an acetonitrile (AcN) medium than the conventional supporting electrolyte, tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate [TBA][PF 6 ] in AcN. Furthermore, it is found that imidazolium-based cations ([emim] + ) play a significant co-catalytic role during the reduction compared to [TBA] + and pyrrolidinium [empyrr] + cations, while anions of the ILs play no such role. The formation of CO from the CO 2 ERR was detected using cyclic voltammetry at an Ag catalyst both in [emim][EtSO 4 ] as well as in an AcN solvent containing [emim][EtSO 4 ] as a supporting electrolyte. The product of the CO 2 reduction in this IL medium at the Ag catalyst is CO, which can be converted to synthetic liquid fuels by coupling the process with the Fischer–Tropsch process or through the conversion of CO 2 into fuels based on green hydrogen by the Sabatier process, that is, methanation of CO 2 on industrial scale, in the future.

Source: Frontiers in Chemistry

DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2025.1515903

Authors: Sayyar Muhammad, Asad Ali

Institutions: Islamia College University, Luleå University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801