Catalyst converts inert carbon dioxide into reactive carbon monoxide

The carbon monoxide then can be used to develop useful chemicals.

‘Converting carbon dioxide to useful chemicals in a selective and efficient way remains a major challenge in renewable and sustainable energy research,’ said Feng Jiao, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and the project’s lead researcher.

The Delaware team have reported their findings in Nature Communications. Co-authors include Qi Lu, a postdoctoral fellow, and Jonathan Rosen, a graduate student, working with Jiao.

The researchers found that a nano-porous silver electrocatalyst was 3,000 times more active than polycrystalline silver, a catalyst commonly used in converting carbon dioxide to useful chemicals. 

Silver is considered a promising material for a carbon dioxide reduction catalyst because it offers high selectivity — approximately 81 per cent — and it costs less than other precious metal catalysts. Additionally, because it is inorganic, silver remains more stable under harsh catalytic environments.

The exceptionally high activity, Jiao said in a statement, is likely due to the UD-developed electrocatalyst’s extremely large and highly curved internal surface, which is approximately 150 times larger and 20 times intrinsically more active than polycrystalline silver.