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  • Perspective
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Different distributions of multi-carbon products in CO2 and CO electroreduction under practical reaction conditions

Nature Catalysis volume 6, pages 1115–1124 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Product selectivity differences between the electroreduction of CO2 and CO under practical current densities are a widely encountered phenomenon that is rarely emphasized or investigated in the field. In this Perspective we have systematically gathered and structured data pertaining to CO2 and CO electroreduction to underscore the disparities in multi-carbon product formation. In addition, we propose that contributions of the microenvironment and a change in the local pH caused by the formation of carbonate/bicarbonate ions are among the most viable reasons behind such differences in electrochemical performance. Investigating the in situ microenvironment during the electrolysis of CO2 compared with CO will deepen the mechanistic understanding of different reaction pathways and reveal fundamental insights that may facilitate catalyst design and device-engineering strategies.

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Fig. 1: Schematics of different reaction design pathways and MEA devices for the CO(2)RR.
Fig. 2: Ratio of acetate formation versus other C2+ products in the literature.
Fig. 3: Proton/hydroxide availability and bifurcations for acetate formation.
Fig. 4: Example reactions and reactor designs that can be influenced by the local pH.

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Data availability

The data that support the find of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation grant no. 2029442, the Welch Foundation Research grant (C-2051-20230405) and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (grant no. 2020-71371).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Jung Yoon ‘Timothy’ Kim, Chase Sellers.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Jung Yoon ‘Timothy’ Kim, Chase Sellers, Shaoyun Hao, Thomas P. Senftle & Haotian Wang

  2. Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Haotian Wang

  3. Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Haotian Wang

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Contributions

J.Y.T.K., C.S., T.S. and H.W. conceived the idea of the Perspective. J.Y.T.K., C.S. and S.H. gathered the data and conducted the literature review. J.Y.T.K. and C.S. draughted the manuscript and created all of the figures. T.S. and H.W. supervised the project.

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Correspondence to Thomas P. Senftle or Haotian Wang.

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Nature Catalysis thanks Carlos Morales-Guio and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Kim, J.Y.‘., Sellers, C., Hao, S. et al. Different distributions of multi-carbon products in CO2 and CO electroreduction under practical reaction conditions. Nat Catal 6, 1115–1124 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-023-01082-4

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