CO₂ Expanded Electrolytes

Learn more about how the Leonard Lab is on the forefront of creating opportunities to repurpose CO₂ in the efforts for carbon neutral and zero waste.

Objectives

A universal goal across all sectors is addressing CO₂ production due to its negative impacts. Ideally, no CO₂ is produced. Realistically, processes seek to limit the byproduct CO₂ and capture the rest for use as a feedstock for other applications. As research works toward limiting environmental impacts and decreasing energy consumption, electrochemical methods are particularly useful. Electrochemical reactions typically occur at ambient temperatures and mild pressures (<5 MPa). Yet CO₂ poses a few challenges in its reuse as a thermodynamically stable, kinetic inert, and gaseous molecule at ambient conditions. Thereby, it would be opportune to seek improvements in maintaining multimolar CO₂ concentrations dissolved in electrolytes and increasing activity through the use of electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction.

Principle Project

Our group investigates CO₂ reduction to value added chemicals specifically carboxylic acids from ketones. However, to utilize CO₂ in electrochemistry, it needs to be supported in an electrolyte solution. Traditional aqueous-based electrolytes are limited by the low solubility of CO₂. We have focused on obtaining multimolar concentrations of CO₂ in electrolyte through CO₂-eXpanded Electrolytes (CXEs). In CXEs there is significant volumetric expansion of the liquid phase with CO₂ dissolution. This project works toward increasing CO₂ concentration at moderate pressure through the use of organic solvents, and improving activity through homogenous molecular electrocatalysts. 

Summary of CO₂ Reduction Utilizing CXEs¹


Visual for CO₂ Reduction on Au Catalyst¹


Visual for CO₂ Reduction of Experimental vs Simulated Data¹


Visual for Pressure Dependence of CO₂ Reduction using CXEs¹


 

  1. Shaughnessy, C.I.; Sconyers, D.; Lee, H-J.; Subramaniam, B.; Leonard, K.C. and Blakemore, J.D “Insights into pressure tunable reaction rates for electrochemical reduction of CO₂ in organic electrolytes.” Green Chemistry Vol 22, Issue 8, pp. 2434-2442 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1039/D0GC00013B