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US 2016/0097136 A1Published application
NanoTin Catalysts for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Formate
AssigneeThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
InventorsSheng Zhang, Peng Kang, Thomas J. Meyer
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Abstract
High surface area tin oxide nanoparticles prepared by a facile hydrothermal method followed by electroreduction to tin act as electrocatalysts toward CO2 reduction to formate, in some embodiments. At certain of these nano-structured tin catalysts, CO2 reduction occurs selectively to formate at low overpotentials and with high Faradaic efficiencies, with high stability and significant current densities.
Claims20
A method for reducing carbon dioxide to formate, comprising:
- providing an electrocatalytic electrode in a suitable electrocatalytic cell, wherein the electrocatalytic electrode comprises:
- nanoparticles comprising tin, associated with high surface area carbon;
- exposing the electrocatalytic electrode to a concentration of carbon dioxide in a fluid composition;
- applying a catalyzing potential to the electrocatalytic electrode and allowing at least some of the carbon dioxide to react;
- thereby reducing the carbon dioxide to formate.
2 more elements
An electrocatalytic electrode, comprising:
- an electrically-conductive surface in electrical communication with nanoparticles comprising tin, associated with high surface area carbon.
A method for making an electrocatalytic electrode, comprising:
- depositing, on an electrically-conductive surface, nanoparticles of tin oxide associated with high surface area carbon;
- reducing at least some of the tin oxide to form nanoparticles comprising tin, associated with high surface area carbon,
- thereby making the electrocatalytic electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.