Work

Scaling CO Electrolyzers for Carbon‐Neutral Chemical Synthesis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The industrial‐scale implementation of carbon monoxide (CO) electrolysis provides a sustainable route to renewable fuels and chemicals. However, scaling up the process faces the challenge of maintaining high Faradaic efficiencies (FEs) and current densities. Here, we address this issue by reinforcing the gas diffusion layer (GDL), optimizing the CO flow rate, and improving heat management. These allow us to fill the performance gap between different electrolyzer stacks from 5 cm2 to 3×50 cm2. Across this scale range, we report FEs of ~80 % for multicarbon (C2+) products at 500 mA cm−2, and the peak power reaches 580 W, 80 times that of the 5 cm2 electrolyzer. This work provides practical guides for developing CO electrolysis from bench science to industrial chemical production technology.

Source: ChemElectroChem

DOI: 10.1002/celc.202500043

Authors: Wenzhi Teng, Yuhang Wang

Institution: Soochow University

Language: English

Topic: CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Climate action, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,750