A metal-free electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction to multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates

Jingjie Wu, Sichao Ma, Jing Sun, Jake I. Gold, ChandraSekhar Tiwary, Byoungsu Kim, Lingyang Zhu, Nitin Chopra, Ihab N. Odeh, Robert Vajtai, Aaron Z. Yu, Raymond Luo, Jun Lou, Guqiao Ding (), Paul J. A. Kenis () and Pulickel M. Ajayan ()
Additional contact information
Jingjie Wu: Rice University
Sichao Ma: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jing Sun: State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jake I. Gold: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
ChandraSekhar Tiwary: Rice University
Byoungsu Kim: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Lingyang Zhu: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Nitin Chopra: Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)
Ihab N. Odeh: Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)
Robert Vajtai: Rice University
Aaron Z. Yu: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Raymond Luo: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jun Lou: Rice University
Guqiao Ding: State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Paul J. A. Kenis: School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Pulickel M. Ajayan: Rice University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Electroreduction of carbon dioxide into higher-energy liquid fuels and chemicals is a promising but challenging renewable energy conversion technology. Among the electrocatalysts screened so far for carbon dioxide reduction, which includes metals, alloys, organometallics, layered materials and carbon nanostructures, only copper exhibits selectivity towards formation of hydrocarbons and multi-carbon oxygenates at fairly high efficiencies, whereas most others favour production of carbon monoxide or formate. Here we report that nanometre-size N-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) catalyse the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates at high Faradaic efficiencies, high current densities and low overpotentials. The NGQDs show a high total Faradaic efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction of up to 90%, with selectivity for ethylene and ethanol conversions reaching 45%. The C2 and C3 product distribution and production rate for NGQD-catalysed carbon dioxide reduction is comparable to those obtained with copper nanoparticle-based electrocatalysts.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13869

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