| dc.description.abstract |
<p>With the rising level of CO2 in the atmosphere, methods capable of converting CO2
into useful fuels are urgently needed. The electrochemical CO2 reduction has gained
significant interest recently due to its ability to use renewable energies. However,
the poor stability of catalysts in electrochemical CO2 reduction limit its application
in industry. Here we have developed a light-involving method to remove the surface
carbonaceous species which are believed to poison the catalysts. By taking advantage
of plasmonic properties of the copper catalyst, the stability of the catalysts has
apparently improved.</p><p>Another problem in electrochemical CO2 reduction is the
poor selectivity. One of the main reasons is the existence of the side reaction, hydrogen
evolution reaction. Here we have developed a catalyst by dispersing atomic nickel
on nitrogen-doped winged carbon nanotubes with the ability to suppress hydrogen evolution
during CO2 reduction. The Faradaic Efficiency of CO reached 90% at -1.6 V vs. AgCl/Ag
reference electrode while the efficiency of HER had been suppressed to less than 10%
in the optimal reaction condition. By comparing with Ni NPs, the suppression of HER
can be directly observed in LSV curve. It is suggested that this suppression may result
from the lack of adjacent active sites for the Tafel mechanism in HER.</p>
|
|
