Proceedings of nanoGe September Meeting 2017 (NFM17)
Publication date: 20th June 2016
The primary mission of our program is to use inexpensive renewable energy to convert feedstocks into higher value products. One key theme is the development of (photo)electrocatalytic reactions that convert sunlight directly or indirectly into products with economic value. The use of carbon dioxide as a feedstock for conversion reactions represents a highly compelling scenario because the carbon containing products can be deployed in global fuel and chemical markets with robust infrastructures. Innovative approaches are still needed, however, in order to realize a commercially viable carbon dioxide conversion system. This presentation will outline our proof-of-principle methodologies for mediating interfacial carbon dioxide reduction reactions that produce value-added chemicals, and identifying conditions where breakdown of the active catalytic materials is avoided. These efforts include (but are not limited to) driving up the rates of carbon dioxide reduction to industrially meaningful current densities, and coupling carbon dioxide reduction with other reactions to increase the productivity of an overall system.