W@Ag dendrites as efficient and durable electrocatalyst for solar-to-CO conversion using scalable photovoltaic-electrochemical system

Woong Hee Lee, Chulwan Lim, Eunseo Ban, Soohyun Bae, Jongwon Ko, Hae Seok Lee, Byoung Koun Min, Kwan Young Lee, Jae Su Yu, Hyung Suk Oh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The electrochemical conversion of CO2 into CO using solar energy is the most efficient technique for artificial photosynthesis. However, many challenges remain, including the realisation of large-scale systems with high current density and stability. Herein, we report a carbon-supported tungsten-seed-based 3D silver dendrite (W@AgD) catalyst with abundant nanograin boundaries that exhibit enhanced CO2 reduction (CO2R) performance and stability. In zero-gap CO2 electrolyzer, W@AgD showed outstanding catalytic activity with a maximum CO partial current density of 400 mA cm–2 and stable operation for 100 h at 150 mA cm–2. The 3D dendrites improve CO2 mass transfer, while the abundant grain boundaries drive the AgxCyOz layer near the surface after activation, leading to superior CO2R catalytic activity owing to the strong local electric fields. In a stand-alone photovoltaic-electrochemical system, we achieved a solar-to-CO efficiency (ηSTC) of 12.1 % at 1 A. Thus, the synthesized catalyst and system are suitable for efficient solar energy storage.

Original languageEnglish
Article number120427
JournalApplied Catalysis B: Environmental
Volume297
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021 Nov 15

Keywords

  • Ag dendrites
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR)
  • Photovoltaic-electrochemical system
  • Solar to chemical conversion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • Environmental Science(all)
  • Process Chemistry and Technology

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