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使用CO2作为构建模块和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和昂贵的后过渡金属络合物作为催化剂。 在这个由NSF化学部化学合成（SYN）部门资助的项目中，新墨西哥州大学的Richard肯普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，以通过电催化将CO2还原为更有价值的小有机分子。 长期目标是最终使用可再生的电子源（如风能或太阳能）将二氧化碳重新激活为运输燃料前体。 如果成功的话，资助的努力将有助于形成一个封闭的碳循环，使二氧化碳回收到运输燃料中再利用。虽然这项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产生的已发表的科学成果，但该项目的更广泛影响将扩展到环境化学，公共政策辩论和温室气体减排问题，随着化石燃料的不断枯竭，这对运输部门产生了长期影响。 UNM是一所少数民族/西班牙裔服务大学，PI的团体在教育代表性不足的群体的学生，并帮助他们进入STEM职业方面有着悠久的历史。 预计在目前的供资期间，这一传统将继续下去，联合国墨西哥大学与第三世界国家的海外合作伙伴之间的互动将进一步扩大。

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.