In situ spectroscopic investigation of electrochemical CO2-to-ethanol conversion mechanism on copper-based molecular catalysts platform

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), powered by renewable electricity, offers a promising pathway for producing value-added chemicals and fuels whilst also supporting net-zero emission—both critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ethanol is particularly favored as a liquid fuel among the various CO2RR products, owing to its high energy density and ease of storage and transport. However, achieving high selectivity for electrochemical CO2-to-ethanol conversion remains challenging.

Copper-based molecular catalysts (Cu MCs) show potential due to their high activity and tunable structure, but their evolution under electrocatalytic reaction conditions makes the catalytic mechanism ambiguous.

This project aims to address these challenges by using finely tuned Cu MCs to explore the catalysts´ evolution and reaction mechanism with cutting-edge in situ spectroscopic techniques.

This project will be carried out with two world-leading groups: evaluating and optimizing electrochemical CO2-to-ethanol conversion on exquisitely engineered Cu MCs with Prof.

Edward Sargent (Northwestern University, 24 months), and investigating structure-activity relationship and reaction mechanism with state-of-the-art in situ characterizations with Prof. Martin Beye (Stockholm University, 12 months).

The expected outcomes will provide comprehensive insights for designing more efficient catalysts for electrochemical CO2-to-ethanol conversion and support the long-term SDGs.