Unveiling CO2 Electrocatalytic Mechanisms in Ionic Liquids via Real-Time AFM and Voltammetry

Abstract

In situ AFM has revealed CO₂-induced morphological changes of ionic liquid (IL) nanomembranes, which correlate with the interaction with CO₂. Voltammetry measurements on GC and Au electrodes suggest that in the ILs BMIPF₆, BMIDCA and BMINO₃, which have the same cation but different anions, the electrode material plays a dominant role in the electrochemical CO₂ reduction, while the ILs exhibit a synergistic effect on CO₂RR. The magnitude of the reaction current is primarily related to the viscosity of the ILs