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London, Oct 31 Scientists have developed a new laser technique that could help find sustainable ways to replace fossil fuels with more efficient clean energies.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an extremely abundant waste that can be turned into energy-rich byproducts, such as carbon monoxide, said researchers from the University of Liverpool in the UK .
However, according to the study published in the journal Nature Catalysis, it is necessary to make this process much more efficient for it to operate on a global industrial scale.
Electrocatalysts have shown promising prospects as a potential means of achieving this necessary "change" of efficiency in terms of CO2 reduction, but the mechanisms by which they operate are often unknown, which prevents researchers to design new ones in a rational way.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with the Chinese Computing Research Center in Beijing, presented a laser spectroscopy technique that can be used to study the electrochemical reduction of CO2 in situ or on the place of origin and provide essential information. an overview of these complex chemical pathways.
The researchers used a technique called vibratory frequency generation spectroscopy (VSFG) coupled with electrochemical experiments to explore the chemistry of a particular catalyst called Mn (bpy) (CO) 3Br, a single most promising and intensely studied CO2 reduction electrocatalysts.
Using VSFG, researchers were able to observe key intermediates that are only present on the surface of an electrode for a very short time – something that had not been done in previous experimental studies.
"A daunting challenge for the study of in situ electrocatalysts is to distinguish between the single layer of short-lived intermediate molecules of the electrode surface and the surrounding" noise "generated by the inactive molecules of the solution, "said Gaia Neri, a part of the Liverpool team.
"We have shown that VSFG allows to follow the behavior of species even of very short life in the catalytic cycle.
"It's exciting because it offers researchers new opportunities to better understand how electrocatalysts work, which is an important next step towards commercializing the CO2 electrochemical conversation process in clean fuel technologies. "Neri said.
As a result of this research, the team is currently working to further improve the sensitivity of the technique and is developing a new detection system that will provide a better signal-to-noise ratio. SAR
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