Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction in Acidic Media

Zhe Yao; Xiaomeng He; Rui Lin

doi:10.1007/s41918-024-00210-3

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2024, Vol. 7 ›› Issue (1) DOI: 10.1007/s41918-024-00210-3

Review Article

Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction in Acidic Media

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¹School of Automotive Studies, Tongji University, 201804, Shanghai, China

^c ruilin@tongji.edu.cn

Zhe Yao

graduated from School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, in 2021. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree under the guidance of Professor Rui Lin at the School of Automotive Studies, Tongji University. His research focuses on electrochemical energy conversion.

Xiaomeng He

graduated from School of Automotive Studies, Tongji University, in 2022. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree under the guidance of Professor Rui Lin at the School of Automotive Studies, Tongji University. Her research mainly focuses on electrochemical CO₂ reduction, membrane-electrode assembly.

Rui Lin

PhD, is the doctoral supervisor of the School of Automotive Studies at Tongji University. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells and now focuses on the research of clean energy materials for vehicles, development and application of energy storage materials, and technology of carbon neutralization. She received her Ph.D. from Zhejiang University in 2002 and pursued postdoctoral research at the State Key Laboratory of Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. Her experience includes heterogeneous catalysis work in the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain (2004), and fuel cell work in the German Aerospace Center (DLR), German (2008–2009). She is a backbone teacher of Tongji University, and was selected into the Tongji University Talent Program. She has published more than 90 papers and authorized more than 30 patents. She has won the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award and the China Automobile Industry Science and Technology Progress Special Award. She used to be the Chinese contact of the International Hydrogen Economy and Fuel Cell Partnership Program (IPHE), and the secretary of the Ministry of Education’s “Energy-Saving and Environmentally Friendly Vehicle Innovation” base. She is also the chief scientist of the National Key R&D Program and presided over the intergovernmental key projects of the National Key R&D Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), two sub-projects of the National Key R&D Project of MOST and several projects with the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

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Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂RR) stands as an enticing approach for the production of essential chemicals and feedstocks, storing clean electric energy and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Recent years have witnessed remarkable breakthroughs in CO₂RR, enhancing its performance and transitioning related research from laboratory settings toward industrial realization. However, the journey of CO₂RR development is not devoid of challenges, including issues like mass transfer limitation, salt accumulation, and flooding phenomena. Remarkably, recent studies have unveiled a promising avenue by conducting CO₂RR in an acidic environment, effectively circumventing these challenges and presenting novel opportunities. In this review, we embark on a reassessment of H-cells and flow cells, delving into their opportunities, challenges, strengths, and weaknesses. Additionally, we compile recent advancements in CO₂RR under acidic conditions, elucidating the performance metrics and strategies embraced by pertinent research. Subsequently, we propose three pivotal concerns in acidic CO₂RR: ① balancing the competition between CO₂RR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), ② enhancing the selectivity, and ③ exploring industrial applications. And finally, we delve into the core factors influencing the performance of CO₂RR in acid: local pH, cation effects, and catalyst design. Building upon these strategies, challenges, and insights, prospects are proposed for the future trajectory of CO₂RR development.

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Zhe Yao, Xiaomeng He, Rui Lin. Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction in Acidic Media. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2024, 7(1): DOI:10.1007/s41918-024-00210-3