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Zn-Cu Alloy Nanofoams as Efficient Catalysts for the Reduction of CO2 to Syngas Mixtures with a Potential-Independent H2 /CO Ratio.

Sarah LamaisonDavid WakerleyDavid MonteroGwenaëlle RousseDario TavernaDomitille GiaumeDimitri MercierJuliette BlanchardHuan Ngoc TranMarc FontecaveVictor Mougel
Published in: ChemSusChem (2019)
Alloying strategies are commonly used to design electrocatalysts that take on properties of their constituent elements. Herein, such a strategy is used to develop Zn-Cu alloyed electrodes with unique hierarchical porosity and tunable selectivity for CO2 versus H+ reduction. By varying the Zn/Cu ratio, tailored syngas mixtures are obtained without the production of other gaseous products, which is attributed to preferential CO- and H2 -forming pathways on the alloys. The syngas ratios are also significantly less sensitive to the applied potential in the alloys relative to pure metal equivalents; an essential quality when coupling electrocatalysis with renewable power sources that have fluctuating intensity. As such, industrially relevant syngas ratios are achieved at large currents (-60 mA) for extensive operating times (>9 h), demonstrating the potential of this strategy for fossil-free fuel production.
Keyphrases
  • heavy metals
  • metal organic framework
  • ionic liquid
  • human health
  • aqueous solution
  • gold nanoparticles
  • risk assessment
  • quantum dots
  • reduced graphene oxide
  • electron transfer