RUI: Collaborative Research: An Engineering Design Approach for the Tandem Catalysis of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) using Nanoporous Bi-layer Structures

随着来自可再生能源的电力变得更便宜，利用可再生能源驱动具有商业意义的化学过程已变得越来越可行，从而引领了可持续能源经济的道路。普渡大学和威斯康星大学拉克罗斯分校的联合研究团队正在设计新的催化剂，用于将二氧化碳(CO2)以行业相关的转化率转化为乙烯等附加值产品。该团队将利用他们的专业知识设计新颖的分层催化剂结构，使所产生的材料更坚固、高效和更快地转化二氧化碳。这个涉及本科生和研究生研究人员的合作项目还将影响与可再生能源、交通和国防相关的广泛技术。该项目将促进知识共享活动，如定期联合会议，研究生密切指导的本科生研究，以及将研究活动纳入课程。该项目还将涉及代表不足的群体参与与研究密集型大学的合作，重点是技能培养活动，如小组报告和科学写作。该项目旨在开发气体扩散层(GDL)衬底上的多孔双层催化剂，然后可用于气体供气二氧化碳(CO2)电解槽，从而能够以与工业相关的速率转化为有价值的C2产品，如乙烯。该项目的指导原则在于使用双层结构通过创建不对称的反应位置来打破二氧化碳减排比例关系，允许通过级联方法比从单一材料获得更大的选择性。使用GDL衬底可以实现传统反应器无法实现的高速率转化。该项目将确定决定复合双层-GDL异质结构的结构-性能关系的潜在因素，重点是控制孔大小、晶粒度和相关的晶界密度。为了降低反应过电势，将根据最新的理论预测来选择特定的金属/金属氧化物异质结构，这往往会限制能量效率。同时，一个精心控制的孔径将被用来通过纳米限制效应促进C-C偶联反应。这种双层-GDL复合结构代表了独特的设计元素组合，源于催化剂制造和电化学测试方面的两项独特技能。与新型流动反应器相结合，该方法有望为将二氧化碳快速转化为乙烯等C2产品这一具有挑战性的问题提供有价值的见解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

As electricity derived from renewable sources becomes cheaper, its use for driving commercially relevant chemical processes has become increasingly viable, leading the path towards a sustainable energy economy. The combined research team at Purdue and University of Wisconsin Lacrosse are designing new catalysts for the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to value-added products such as ethylene at industrially relevant conversion rates. The team will use their specific expertise to engineer novel layered catalyst structures, allowing the resulting materials to be more robust, efficient, and faster for CO2 conversion. This collaborative project involving both undergraduate and graduate researchers will also impact a broad range of technologies related to renewable energy, transportation, and defense. The project will promote knowledge-sharing activities such as regular joint meetings, undergraduate research mentored closely by graduate students, and inclusion of research activities into the curriculum. The project will also involve participation of underrepresented groups in working with research-intensive universities with a focus on skill-building activities such as group presentations, and scientific writing.This project aims to develop porous bi-layer catalysts on gas-diffusion layer (GDL) substrates which can then be used inside gas-fed carbon dioxide (CO2) electrolyzers allowing conversion to valuable C2+ products such as ethylene, at industrially relevant rates. The guiding principle of the project rests on using the bi-layer structure to break CO2 reduction scaling relations by creating asymmetric reaction sites, allowing greater selectivity through a cascade approach than from a single material. The use of a GDL substrate enables the possibility of high-rate conversions not possible with traditional reactors. The project will identify the underlying factors that determine structure-property relationships of the composite bilayer-GDL heterostructure with a focus on controlling the pore size, grain size, and associated grain boundary density. Specific metal/metal oxide heterostructures will be chosen based on recently available theoretical predictions in order to reduce the reaction overpotential, which often limits the energetic efficiency. In parallel, a carefully controlled pore size will be used to promote C-C coupling reactions through nano-confinement effects. This bilayer-GDL composite structure represents a unique combination of design elements, arising from two unique skill sets in catalyst fabrication and electrochemical testing. Coupled with a novel flow-reactor, the methodology promises to provide valuable insight into the challenging problem of high rate CO2 conversion to C2+ products such as ethylene.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.