November 17, 2020

Impacts of NOx on CO2 electrolysis

Industrial carbon dioxide point sources often contain numerous contaminants, such as nitrogen oxides, and therefore, it is important to understand the potential impact of contaminants on carbon dioxide electrolysis processes. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, we investigated the carbon dioxide electroreduction properties of Cu, Ag, and Sn catalysts in the presence of NOx. More details can be found here.

May 27, 2020

Probing electrocatalyst surface

In a recent JACS paper, in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is employed to investigate the speciation of four commonly used Cu surfaces, i.e., Cu foil, Cu micro/nanoparticles, electrochemically deposited Cu film, and oxide-derived Cu, at potentials relevant to the CO reduction reaction in an alkaline electrolyte. This is a collaborative work with Profs. Bingjun Xu and Levi Thompson, which is selected as a journal cover in JACS and highlighted in Nature Catalysis. 

December 9, 2019

Carbon monoxide electroreduction as an emerging platform for carbon utilization

In a perspective paper published in Nature Catalysis, we discussed recent progress towards high-rate CO conversion alongside mechanistic insights and device designs that can improve performance even further. A techno-economic analysis of the two-step conversion process and cradle-to-gate lifecycle assessment shows the economic feasibility and improved environmental impact of a high-volume commercial process generating acetic acid and ethylene compared to the current state of the art.

August 23, 2019

Building nitrogen atoms into carbon species in CO2/CO electrolysis

Expanding the range of chemicals that can be produced electrochemically from carbon dioxide (or derived carbon monoxide) and other abundant sources is much needed. In a collaborative work together with Prof. Bill Goddard at Caltech, we demonstrated the feasibility to form C-N bonds in CO electroreduction reaction. The full report of this study can be found at Nature Chemistry. Two news stories were released regarding this work (UDaily story & Caltech Story).