| AVS 60th International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Energy Frontiers Focus Topic | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session EN+AS+PS-TuA |
| Session: | Water Splitting and Carbon Dioxide Conversion |
| Presenter: | J. Rosenthal, University of Delaware |
| Authors: | J. Rosenthal, University of Delaware J. DiMeglio, University of Delaware J. Medina-Ramos, University of Delaware |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The wide-scale implementation of solar and other renewable sources of electricity requires improved means for energy storage. An intriguing strategy in this regard is the reduction of CO2 to CO, which generates an energy rich commodity chemical that can be coupled to liquid fuel production using Fischer-Tropsch methods. To this end, we have developed an inexpensive Bismuth Carbon Monoxide Evolving Catalyst (Bi-CMEC) that can be formed upon cathodic polarization of an inexpensive carbon or metallic electrode in acidic solutions containing Bi3+ ions. This catalyst can be used in conjunction with ionic liquids and other weak organic acids to effect the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CO with appreciable current density at low overpotential. The systems to be described are selective for production of CO, operating with very high Faradaic efficiency for conversion of CO2 to this valuable product. As such the ability of this electrocatalyst system to drive production of CO from carbon dioxide is on par with that which has historically only been observed using expensive silver and gold cathodes.