Highly Tunable Syngas Product Ratios Enabled by Novel Nanoscale Hybrid Electrolytes Designed for Combined CO 2 Capture and Electrochemical Conversion

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 33; no. 13
• Main Authors: Feric, Tony G., Hamilton, Sara T., Ko, Byung Hee, Lee, Gahyun Annie, Verma, Sumit, Jiao, Feng, Park, Ah‐Hyung Alissa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.03.2023
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202210017

Coupling renewable energy with the electrochemical conversion of CO 2 to chemicals and fuels has been proposed as a strategy to achieve a new circular carbon economy and help mitigate the effects of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. Liquid‐like Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) are composed of polymers tethered to nanoparticles and are previously explored as CO 2 capture materials and electrolyte additives. In this study, two types of aqueous NOHM‐based electrolytes are prepared to explore the effect of CO 2 binding energy (i.e., chemisorption versus physisorption) on CO 2 electroreduction over a silver nanoparticle catalyst for syngas production. Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and Jeffamine M2070 (HPE) are ionically tethered to SiO 2 nanoparticles to form the amine‐containing NOHM‐I‐PEI and ether‐containing NOHM‐I‐HPE, respectively. At less negative cathode potentials, PEI and NOHM‐I‐PEI‐based electrolytes produce CO at higher rates than 0.1 molal. KHCO 3 due to favorable catalyst‐electrolyte interactions. Whereas at more negative potentials, H 2 production is favored because of the carbamate electrochemical inactivity. Conversely, HPE and NOHM‐I‐HPE‐based electrolytes display poor CO 2 reduction performance at less negative potentials. At more negative potentials, their performance approached that of 0.1 molal. KHCO 3 , highlighting how the polymer functional groups of NOHMs can be strategically selected to produce value‐added products from CO 2 with highly tunable compositions.