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The research conducted by the University of Liverpool could help scientists to fully exploit the potential of new clean energy technologies.
Finding sustainable ways to replace fossil fuels is a key priority for researchers around the world. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an extremely abundant waste that can be converted into energy-rich byproducts, such as carbon monoxide. However, this process needs to be made much more efficient to operate on an industrial and global scale.
Electrocatalysts have shown promise as a potential way to achieve this drastic change in the efficiency of reducing CO2 emissions, but their mechanisms of operation are often unknown, which prevents researchers from designing CO2 emissions. new ones in a rational way.
New search published in Catalysis of nature Researchers from the University's Department of Chemistry, in collaboration with the Beijing Computer Research Center and STFC's Rutherford Appleton, present a laser spectroscopy technique that can be used to study the electrochemical reduction of CO2 in situ and provide essential information in these complex chemical pathways.
Researchers used a technique called Vibration Frequency Generation Spectroscopy (VSFG) combined with electrochemical experiments to explore the chemistry of a particular catalyst called Mn (bpy) (CO) 3Br, one of the electrocatalysts of CO2 reduction the most promising and studied.
By using VSFG, researchers have been 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.
In Liverpool, the work was done by the Cowan Group, a team of researchers studying and developing new catalytic systems for the sustainable production of fuels.
Dr. Gaia Neri, who was part of the Liverpool team, said: "A big challenge for the study of in situ electrocatalysts is to distinguish between the single layer of short-lived intermediate molecules on the surface of the electrocatalyst. electrode and the surrounding "noise" generated by the inactive molecules in the solution.
"We have shown that VSFG can track even very short-lived species behavior in the catalytic cycle, which is exciting because it provides researchers with new opportunities to better understand how electrocatalysts work." which is an important step towards the next step – commercializing the CO2 electrochemical conversation process into clean fuel technologies. "
As a result of this research, the team is currently working to improve the sensitivity of the technique and is developing a new detection system that provides a better signal-to-noise ratio.
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