Materials and methods for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide

An electrochemical cell for electrochemically reducing carbon dioxide to provide a product, the electrochemical cell comprising

• a working electrode comprising an electroreduction catalyst in a first cell compartment, wherein the electroreduction catalyst comprises a nanoporous Cu catalyst, a nanoporous Cu-M catalyst, or a combination thereof, where is a metal chosen from Pt, Ir, Pd, Ag, Au, Rh, Ru, Zn, Sn, Ni, Fe, Re, Ga, In, Cd, Tl, and Ti;
• a counter electrode in a second cell compartment;
• and
• a solid electrolyte membrane interposed between the working electrode and the counter electrode;
• both the first cell compartment and the second cell compartment further comprising an aqueous solution of an electrolyte.

A method for preparing an organic compound defined by Formula II from a carboxylic acid defined by Formula I and a carboxylic acid defined by Formula I′ according to the equation below

• RCOOH
• Formula
• 
• 
• I
• +
• R
• ′
• 
• COOH
• Formula
• 
• 
• I
• ′
• +
• 1
• 
• /
• 
• 2
• 
• 
• O
• 2
• →
• R
• 
• -
• 
• R
• ′
• Formula
• 
• 
• II
• +
• CO
• 2
• +
• H
• 2
• 
• O
• where R and R′ interdependently represent hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkylaryl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkylheteroaryl group, the method comprising contacting the carboxylic acid defined by Formula I and the carboxylic acid defined by Formula I′ with an electroreduction catalyst in an electrochemical cell, and applying a potential to the electrochemical cell to form the organic compound defined by Formula II,
• wherein the electroreduction catalyst comprises a nanoporous Cu catalyst, a nanoporous Cu-M catalyst, or a combination thereof, where M is a metal chosen from Pt, Ir, Pd, Ag, Au, Rh, Ru, Zn, Sn, Ni, Fe, Re, Ga, In, Cd, Tl, and Ti.