Economically Viable Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Formate/Formic Acid. I: Cathode Performance Improvement in Gas-Liquid-Solid Half Cells

Y. ZHAI; A. AGARWAL; N. SRIDHAR; LEONEL MATIAS CHIACCHIARELLI; G.S. FRANKEL

Encuentro; 219th ECS meeting; 2011

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 to various end products such as formic acid, methane, and ethylene has been studied for several decades. The conversion ofCO2 to formic acid on tin has been widely studied. Due to its high selectivity and relatively low energy of conversion. However, the catalyst performance has been shown to degrade rapidly within a few hours. Cathode selectivity and stability over long term operation arecritical for the economic feasibility of this process in commercial applications. These aspects are significantly affected by catalyst composition, degree of polarization, electrode configuration, as well as the supporting electrolyte.