MEtal NAnoClusters for Electrocatalytic CO2 conversion

Combatting the menace of global warming requires solutions to recycle carbon dioxide (CO2).

Electrochemical (EC) CO2 reduction reactions (CO2RR) could potentially solve this problem by the storage of energy from renewable sources in the form of chemical energy in fuels or value-added chemicals in a sustainable manner. However, CO2 is a highly stable molecule and catalysts are needed to overcome its kinetically sluggish reduction.

Despite the considerable progress in the design of metallic nanoparticle (NP) catalysts, the polydispersity of conventional NPs limits the fundamental understanding of structure-activity relationships, which remains the bottleneck for further catalyst development.

To overcome this problem, I propose the utilization of a novel class of catalysts that lie in the transition regime between small molecules and NPs: Atomically precise ligand-protected metal nanoclusters (MNCs).

Contrary to NPs, MNCs are monodisperse particles with a defined composition that can be structurally characterized at the atomic level.

The aim of this project is to develop the full potential of MNCs for catalytic EC CO2RR i) by studying MNC structure-activity relationships, including size, protecting ligands and metal composition; ii) by tuning their catalytic performance, modifying MNCs with molecular metal-oxides to enhance CO2 adsorption; and iii) by their immobilization into nanocarbon materials, improving catalyst stability and performance due to the synergy between the support substrate and supported catalyst.

The goal of the MENACE-CO2 project is to shed light into the precise correlation of structure with catalytic properties, enabling the rational optimization of this novel type of catalysts.

Moreover, this project will open new perspectives by engineering nanocomposites, recognizing the roles of each component and how they synergize to achieve their properties to, ultimately, open new directions in CO2 conversion.