In a cutting-edge study published in the prestigious journal "Energy & Environmental Science", researchers from the Interface Science Department at the Fritz Haber Institute have introduced a novel method for converting the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into ethanol, a sustainable fuel.
In a cutting-edge study published in the prestigious journal "Energy & Environmental Science", researchers from the Interface Science Department at the Fritz Haber Institute have introduced a novel method for converting the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into ethanol, a sustainable fuel. This significant advancement could pave the way for more environmentally friendly and economically viable alternatives to fossil fuels.
The article, entitled "Time-Resolved Operando Insights into the Tunable Selectivity of Cu-Zn Nanocubes during Pulsed CO2 Electroreduction", reveals how the team successfully used a combination of copper and zinc oxide to favor the catalytic reduction of CO2 into ethanol. Traditionally, this process has relied solely on copper-based catalysts operated under stationary reaction conditions, which do not ensure the best selectivity to ethanol. Pulsed CO2RR is known to change this but while it is a promising approach, the catalyst can suffer from stability issues due to the more demanding reaction conditions, which are detrimental to its performance.
Read more at Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
Image: Ethanol Production from CO2 (Credit: © FHI)
