Electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction (ECO₂R) offers a sustainable pathway to industrial decarbonisation by converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals. Despite significant advances in catalyst design, industrial scalability has been constrained by slow mass-transfer kinetics. A research team led by Prof. Daniel LAU Shu-ping, Associate Director of Photonics Research Institute (PRI) and Chair Professor of Nanomaterials, has introduced a high-diffusion-flux gas diffusion electrode (HDF-GDE) that overcomes this limitation in alkali-cation-free systems, achieving CO₂ conversion rates at industrial current densities.
Kinetic analysis reveals that conversion is governed by mass transfer efficiency rather than flow rate. By optimising the GDE structure to maximise CO₂ diffusion and GDE utilisation, the team has realised a kW-scale ECO₂R system with long-term stability (>1000 hours), capable of producing carbon monoxide (CO) or ethylene (C₂H₄) depending on the catalyst employed. Operating with a 3 L/min CO₂ flow rate, the system delivers 144 kg of CO (1.29 kW) or 17 kg of C₂H₄ (1.95 kW) over 1000 hours. The alkali-cation-free ECO2R system, equipped with HDF-GDEs, demonstrates economic viability for large-scale ECO2R-to-CO/C2H4 production. These findings bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and real-world deployment, advancing the manufacturing of carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals.
This breakthrough not only addresses key challenges in mass transfer and system stability but also paves the way for the practical implementation of ECO₂R technology in industrial settings. By demonstrating both technical and economic feasibility, the research sets a new benchmark for scalable carbon-neutral fuel and chemical production, supporting global efforts toward sustainable energy and climate change mitigation.
The results have been published in Nature Communications under the title “Kilowatt-scale alkali-cation-free CO2 electrolysis via accelerating mass transfer”.
Read the full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69175-9
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