New Earth-Abundant Metal Complexes for CO2 Conversion and Reduction

虽然许多人认为二氧化碳(CO2)是一种废气，但许多实验室都在努力利用二氧化碳作为积木和C1合成子来生产更复杂的有机分子。这些正在进行的研究大多使用稀有且昂贵的后过渡金属络合物作为催化剂。在这项由美国国家科学基金会化学部化学合成(SYN)部门资助的项目中，新墨西哥大学的Richard Kemp教授和他的学生正在研究地球上丰富的主族和过渡金属的基本反应，通过电催化将二氧化碳还原为更有价值的有机小分子。长期目标是最终使用可再生的电子来源(如风能或太阳能)，将二氧化碳重新转化为交通燃料前体。如果成功，资助的努力将有助于形成一个封闭的碳循环，允许将二氧化碳循环回到运输燃料中重复使用。虽然这笔赠款的主要工作成果将是训练有素的学生和博士后研究员以及他们所产生的已发表的科学成果，但该项目的更广泛影响延伸到环境化学、公共政策辩论和温室气体减少问题，随着化石燃料的持续枯竭，对运输部门的长期影响。北卡罗来纳州立大学是一所服务于少数族裔/拉美裔的大学，而国际和平协会的组织长期以来一直在教育代表人数不足的群体的学生，并帮助他们进入STEM职业生涯。这一传统预计将在本供资期间继续下去，并将进一步扩大UNM与第三世界国家的海外合作伙伴之间的互动。

While many view carbon dioxide (CO2) as a waste gas, there exist efforts in many laboratories to use CO2 as a building block and C1 synthon to produce more complex organic molecules. Most of these ongoing studies utilize rare and expensive late-transition metal complexes as catalysts. In this project funded by the Chemical Synthesis (SYN) section of NSF's Division of Chemistry, Professor Richard Kemp of the University of New Mexico and his students are examining the fundamental reactions of earth-abundant main group and transition metals to reduce CO2 to more valuable, small organic molecules via electrocatalysis. The long-term goal is to eventually use a renewable source of electrons (such as wind or solar derived) to re-energize CO2 back into transportation fuel precursors. If successful, the funded efforts will help lead to a closed carbon loop that allows recycle of CO2 back into transportation fuels for re-use.While the primary work outputs of this grant will be the trained students and postdoctoral fellows and the published scientific results they generate, the broader impacts of this project extend into environmental chemistry, public policy debate, and the greenhouse gas reduction issue, with long-term implications in the transportation sector as fossil fuels continue to be depleted. UNM is a minority/Hispanic-serving university, and the PI's group has a long-standing history of educating students from under-represented groups, and aiding their entry into STEM careers. This tradition is expected to continue during this current funding period, and the interactions between UNM and overseas partners in third world countries will be further expanded.