Best practices for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide
Date
2023-01-02
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Nature Sustainability
Abstract
Carbon capture, utilization and storage, a fundamental process to a sustainable future, relies on a suite of technologies among which electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is essential. Here, we discuss the issues faced when reporting performance of this technology and recommend how to move forward at both materials and device levels.
Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into value-added chemicals has attracted considerable attention recently1,2,3. However, reporting the performance of a new CO2 electrocatalyst or a new reactor design is not trivial because of the complex nature of the CO2 electroreduction reaction. In many cases, the results are presented in a confusing manner, rendering it difficult to assess the true performance of the catalyst and/or device. In this Comment, we first discuss common problems in reporting the performance of a new electrocatalyst (including both heterogeneous and molecular catalysts) in the literature and then extend the discussion to how the products should be properly measured and quantified. Finally, we comment on the issues associated with full-cell level studies and recommend the best practices for electrochemical CO2 reduction.
Description
This article was originally published in Nature Sustainability. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01034-z. This article will be embargoed until 07/02/2023.
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Citation
Seger, B., Robert, M. & Jiao, F. Best practices for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. Nat Sustain (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01034-z