Unassisted Photoelectrochemical CO2 Conversion into Liquid Products by a Light-Responsive Gas-Diffusion Electrode
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The combination of suitable semiconductors as photoelectrodes could sustainably provide unassisted CO 2 conversion using sunlight; however, few reports describe such achievement at this time. Herein, ethanol and formate were produced in a photoreactor assembled with a photoresponsive gas-diffusion electrode (GDE) containing Cu 2 WO 4 . The energy diagram, built from band gap energy and flat band potential ( E FB ) values, shows that the position of the Cu 2 WO 4 conduction band edge is suitable to promote CO 2 reduction in different products. BiVO 4 deposited on titanium foil was used as the photoanode; large-area Ti|BiVO 4 was successfully synthesized from the Ti|BiOI template; additional deposition of FeOOH/NiOOH decreased E FB and charge recombination, improving the photoanode performance for the O 2 evolution reaction. The CO 2 -fed GDE/Cu 2 WO 4 (7.5 cm 2 ) photocathode and the Ti|BiVO 4 /FeOOH/NiOOH (9.0 cm 2 ) photoanode were assembled in a H-type reactor containing NaHCO 3 aqueous solution. Under irradiation, these associated photoelectrodes supplied the thermodynamic requirements for a spontaneous current flow of 0.7 mA and, without any external bias, produced formate (16.5 μg h –1 cm –2 ) and ethanol (1.9 μg h –1 cm –2 ) at the cathode with solar-to-fuel efficiency of 0.07 and 0.005%, respectively. This photoreactor can be an inspiration for designing sustainable devices for CO 2 valorization using sunlight.
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: Shell, University of Manchester, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia
Awards: G116629194, G1275380122, G22113365, G233101189, G2413864474, G295657101, G301053810, G3076342831, Multiuser equipments: integrated system for photo electrochemical experiments, G3690646728, G453103152, G4673043411, Titanium alloys: phase transformations and additive manufacturing applied to obtaining functionally graded materials, On-surface synthesis of tunable single layer low dimensional materials: understanding their chemical integrity, vibronic, electronic, and spin properties, G589805161, G6438247056, Generation and storage of New Energy: bringing technological development for the country, G6815844370, G7742098027, G7949562132, G871200192
OpenAlex ID: W4410868813