Powering the Carbon-Neutral Energy Cycle: Energy-Efficient Catalysts for CO2 Reduction

Energy-efficient reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide (CO) is an important avenue towards carbon neutral economy. Although progress has been made in the catalytic reduction of CO₂ by molecular and noble metal catalysts, outstanding challenges remain in achieving catalytic reduction with high energetic efficiency, fast electron transfer kinetics, high selectivity for desired products, and long-term catalyst stability. The goal of this project is to develop novel nanomaterials capable of promoting electrocatalytic and photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to CO and hydrocarbons with unprecedented energy-efficiency and selectivity. The molecular design features conductive, porous, bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that permit the modulation of the efficiency and selectivity for CO₂ reduction with atomic precision. The outcome of this research will produce access to novel MOFs with superior CO₂ reduction performance over existing materials. Conceptual and technological advances emerging from this work will be applicable to promoting carbon-neutral economy, and may also find applications in chemical sensing, monitoring of environmental pollution, and electrochemical energy storage and conversion.