Conversion of CO2 to products via electrochemical systems
Renewably powered CO2 conversion presents an opportunity to de-carbonize the production of fuels and chemicals. Application of CO2 reduction will require electrocatalytic systems that provide reactants, electrons, and products at high rate and efficiency, and that are compatible with established upstream and downstream processes. In this talk I will outline our progress on membrane electrode assembly based cells to meet this challenge. To accommodate O2 impurities from upstream processes we develop a hydrated ionomer catalyst coating that selectively slows O2 transport and stabilizes the copper catalyst. To increase reaction rate and energy efficiency we develop an catalyst strategy that increases local CO2 availability and tunes intermediate adsorption for the production of multicarbon products. For liquid product generation we focus on minimizing product cross-over to the anode, targeting ethanol production in excess of the 10wt% - comparable to bio-ethanol production and compatible with downstream processes.
David Sinton is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. The Sinton group develops fluid systems for energy applications.