Radiation-assisted electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a versatile intermediate feedstock for many applications and can be produced through the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, current electrochemical CO production is hindered by high overall costs, primarily due to low conversion efficiencies and significant energy requirements. Herein, we report a unique way of enhancing the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO using gamma (γ) photons. The γ-irradiation applied to the electrochemical cell setup induces the production of e˙⁻, which results in an increased CO₂ ionization and production of excited CO₂ molecules via lower energy barrier. The ionized CO₂˙⁻ is quickly stabilized over a silver catalyst, providing an alternative low activation energy route for CO₂ reduction. A decrease in the overpotential barrier enhanced the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO by 25%.