Abstract
Conversion of carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons (methane, ethylene) and alcohols (ethanol, propanol) using renewable electricity as an energy source is an attractive strategy for storing renewable energies (solar and wind energy) into the form of chemical energy (a fuel) and using carbon dioxide as a raw material for the synthesis of chemical products. However, carbon dioxide activation is a complex process which involves multiple electron and proton transfers, resulting in the need for stable, efficient and selective catalysts in order to make this strategy a practical industrial option. Here we discuss our ongoing research using original Cu-based catalytic materials and addressing several issues associated with on carbon dioxide electrolysis, such as activity, selectivity, carbonate formation and carbon loss. This led us to investigate the effect of molecular modification of catalyst surfaces, optimization of electrolysis under acidic conditions as well as carbon monoxide electroreduction into ethylene and alcohols.
