Issue 17, 2015 - Nano-palladium achieves efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2

Recently, researchers such as Gao Dunfeng, Wang Guoxiong and Bao Xinhe of the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborated with Professor Wang Jianguo of Zhejiang University of Technology and others to find that nano-palladium electrodes can efficiently catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide to generate carbon
monoxide.

At present, in terms of carbon dioxide conversion, the reduction of carbon dioxide using traditional chemical methods requires the supply of energy and hydrogen
at the same time.
The reduction of carbon dioxide by electrocatalytic method and the coupling of electrolyzed water to obtain hydrogen from water can directly obtain high-value chemicals and liquid fuels
such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and methanol in the next step under relatively mild reaction conditions.
The team found that the transformation
of Pd nanoparticles from hydrogen evolution catalysts to high-efficiency CO2 reduction catalysts can be realized by changing the size of Pd nanoparticles to modulate CO2 adsorption, the formation of COOH- of intermediate species, and the desorption of CO-.
This process, combined with renewable energy or the use of surplus nuclear energy, shows great potential
for large-scale electrical energy storage.
(Chemical)