CAREER: Electrocatalytic Multielectron Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Fuels Using Small Metal-Metal Bonded Clusters

加州大学戴维斯分校的Louise Berben教授得到了化学系化学催化（CAT）计划和化学，生物工程，环境和运输系统（CBET）系催化和生物催化计划的支持，以研究二氧化碳转化为小有机分子（如甲酸盐和甲醛）所涉及的基本化学和反应步骤。和液体燃料如甲醇。多金属铁，钴，镍金属羰基簇电催化剂将开发用于此目的。催化剂最终将与光电阴极耦合，以便研究中的反应能量可以从太阳辐射中获得。电化学工具，包括循环伏安法和气相色谱法将用于检测和表征的反应products.Insight到电化学还原CO2使用高效的杂金属过渡金属电催化剂可能会产生基本的化学知识，这将促进在转化为燃料和小的化学积木CO2的进步。太阳能用于这些电催化化学转化的潜在用途增加了该项目的价值。学生将在多学科的研究环境中接受培训，一个新的无机实验室模块将被纳入本科实验室课程。 外展活动包括通过MURPPS（物理和数学科学本科研究参与者导师）计划吸引代表性不足的学生学习化学学科的计划，以及与加州太阳能合作组织的合作，为该领域的公共政策提供信息。

Professor Louise Berben of the University of California-Davis is supported by the Chemical Catalysis (CAT) Program in the Division of Chemistry and the Catalysis and Biocatalysis Program in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET) to study the fundamental chemistry and reaction steps involved in the conversion of CO2 to small organic molecules, such as formate, and formaldehyde, and liquid fuels such as methanol. Multimetallic iron, cobalt, and nickel metal carbonyl cluster electrocatalysts will be developed for this purpose. The catalysts will ultimately be coupled to photocathodes so that the energy for the reactions under study can be derived from solar radiation. Electrochemical tools including cyclic voltammetry, and gas chromatography will be employed for the detection and characterization of the reaction products.Insight into the electrochemical reduction of CO2 using efficient heterometallic transition metal electrocatalysts is likely to yield fundamental chemical knowledge that will facilitate advances in the conversion of CO2 into fuels and small chemical building blocks. The potential use of solar energy for these electrocatalytic chemical transformations adds to the value of the project. Students will be trained in a multidisciplinary research environment and a new inorganic laboratory module will be incorporated into undergraduate laboratory courses. The outreach activities include a plan to attract underrepresented students to the discipline of chemistry through the MURPPS (Mentorship for Undergraduate Research Participants in Physical and Mathematical Sciences) program, and a collaboration with the California Solar Energy Collaborative to inform public policy in this area.