Search

Paired electrosynthesis is an efficient green process that minimizes resource and energy consumption as well as waste generation. The authors demonstrate an electrolysis system that pairs CO₂ reduction to CO at the cathode with allyl alcohol oxidation to acrolein at the anode.

Ethanol electrosynthesis from CO reduction is achieved using an oxygen-affinity-engineered copper alloy catalyst. Unlike conventional CO dimerization pathways, which yield diverse products, this catalyst selectively promotes the CO–CH_x coupling route, enabling selective ethanol production.

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ over copper can be made highly selective by ‘tuning’ the copper surface with adsorbed organic molecules to stabilize intermediates for carbon-based fuels such as ethylene

Copper electrocatalysts enable carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide reduction but suffer from low production rates. Here, the authors promote in situ growth of Cu(100) during electrolysis, enabling efficient and stable electrosynthesis of multicarbon products at industrially-relevant current densities

The carbon and energy efficiencies of current CO₂/CO electrolysis systems are limited. Here the authors show that these metrics can be improved by controlling ion flows in the vicinity of a copper catalyst by the application of a covalent organic framework.

Electrosynthesis of higher carbon products (C₄₊) in a high selectivity has not been achieved by the direct reduction of CO₂ or CO. Here, the authors use a cascade electrocatalysis–thermocatalysis approach to produce butane from CO with an overall selectivity of 43%.

Electrosynthesis of multicarbon products from CO₂ is restricted by the proton-rich conditions in strong acids leading to unfavourable hydrogen evolution. Now a heterogeneous catalyst adlayer composed of covalent organic framework nanoparticles and cation-exchange ionomers is reported to regulate the local pH, suppressing H₂ generation and promoting multicarbon formation.

The electrochemical production of ethylene oxide from CO₂ is an attractive yet challenging process. Now, a BaO_x/IrO₂ catalyst for ethylene oxidation is reported and applied in an O₂-redox-mediated paired system for complete CO₂ to ethylene oxide production.

In the electrified conversion of CO2 to multicarbon products, CO2 crossover to the O2-rich anodic stream adds a further, energy-intensive, chemical separation step. Here, the authors demonstrate a strategy that eliminates the separation requirement.

Stable electrochemical reduction to formate is still challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate a redox-modulation and active-site stabilization strategy for CO₂ to formate conversion over 100 days of continuous operation at 100 mA/cm² with a cathodic energy efficiency of 70%.

CO₂-to-ethylene conversion using renewable electricity provides a sustainable route to produce valuable chemicals. Here, the authors report high ethylene activity of 215 mA cm⁻² and selectivity of 65% made possible by silica clusters in copper.

Acidic CO₂ electroreduction is carbon efficient but suffers from low energy efficiency and selectivity. Here an interfacial cation matrix is developed to enrich alkali cations and increase the local pH at a Cu–Ag catalyst surface, improving efficiency. A 45% CO₂-to-ethanol Faradaic efficiency and 15% energy efficiency for ethanol production are achieved.

While the high concentration of CO₂ in flue gas makes it an attractive feedstock for electrocatalytic production of useful molecules, SO₂ contaminants can poison catalysts. Here the authors report a polymer/catalyst/ionomer heterojunction design with hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains that improves the SO₂ tolerance of a Cu catalyst.

Conventional alkaline and neutral CO₂-to-CH₄ systems suffer carbon loss, and recovering the lost carbon requires input energy exceeding the heating value of CH₄. Here, the authors report a chelating strategy to obtain Cu-N/O single sites decorated Cu clusters, which enables energy- and carbon-efficient CH₄ electroproduction in an acidic system.

This work regulates solid/liquid/gas triple-phase interface, facilitating site-selective protonation in carbon monoxide electroreduction. It achieves increased energy-efficiency in acetate production and contributes to the understanding of selectively controlling the electrosynthesis of a single product.

The development of a tandem catalyst, consisting of two distinct nanoscale-engineered layers, enables efficient multicarbon production with high CO₂ utilization in an acidic CO₂ electroreduction environment.

Metal borides/borates are promising candidates to become high-performance alkaline oxygen evolution reaction catalysts. This study reports an in-situ phase composition modulation approach to fabricate boride/borate-based catalysts.

CO₂ electroreduction in acidic electrolytes avoids carbon loss but entails the issue of salt formation arising from the addition of metal cations, thereby limiting operational stability. Now copper is decorated with immobilized cationic ionomers, achieving stable CO₂ reduction towards multi-carbon products in metal cation-free acidic electrolytes.

A study using a copper-in-silver dilute alloy catalyst in a high-pressure gas flow reactor reports highly selective electrosynthesis of acetate from carbon monoxide.

Performing CO₂ reduction in acidic conditions enables high CO₂ utilization. Here, the authors report an electrodeposited Cu catalyst which achieves a 60% faradaic efficiency for ethylene and 90% for multicarbon products–both records for acidic CO₂ reduction.

Copper is unique among CO₂ electrocatalysts owing to its ability to produce multicarbon products at high rates; however, achieving selectivity for specific products remains challenging. Here, Cu surfaces decorated with alkaline earth metal oxides are found to strongly favour alcohols over hydrocarbons.

In the carbon dioxide (CO₂) to multicarbon electrolysis, the crossover CO₂ to the oxygen-rich anodic gas stream add a further energy-intensive chemical separation step. Here, the authors demonstrate a bipolar membrane-based electrolyzer design that eliminates the crossover CO2.

Copper-based catalysts are promising for electroreduction of carbon monoxide to multi-carbon products, yet further improvements in selectivity, productivity and stability are still needed. Here the authors show that doping copper with silver and ruthenium boosts its performance towards synthesis of n-propanol—a useful fuel.

The electroreduction of CO₂ offers a promising approach to produce carbon-neutral methane using renewable electricity. This study shows that the introduction of Au in Cu enables selective methane production from CO₂ by regulating *CO availability.

Electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into liquid fuels, powered by renewable electricity, offers one means to address the need for the storage of intermittent renewable energy. Now, Sargent and co-workers present a cooperative catalyst design of molecule–metal interfaces to improve the electrosynthesis of ethanol from CO₂ by producing a reaction-intermediate-rich local environment.

The electrocatalytic upgrading of CO to higher-value fuels provides a promising route to multi-carbon alcohol products. Here, the authors show that high alcohol selectivity and activity can be achieved by incorporating palladium in copper.

The electroreduction of CO₂ to ethanol could enable the clean production of fuels using renewable power. This study shows how confinement effects from nitrogen-doped carbon layers on copper catalysts enable selective ethanol production from CO₂ with a Faradaic efficiency of up to 52%.

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to multicarbon products is useful for producing high-value chemicals and fuels. Here the authors present a strategy that is based on the in situ electrodeposition of copper under CO₂ reduction conditions that preferentially expose and maintain Cu(100) facets, which favour the formation of C₂₊ products.

Renewable electricity-powered CO₂ electroreduction offers a sustainable route to transform the chemical industry. Here the authors overview four CO₂ electrolysis pathways that could be immune from carbonate formation, a major technological barrier.

Joseph Gleeson and colleagues report whole-exome sequencing of a cohort of over 1,000 individuals from the Greater Middle East, characterizing common and rare variants. They find evidence of subregional diversity and historical migrations and use the GME Variome to identify disease-causing mutations.