Chen Zhangsen, Zhang Lei, Sun Shuhui, Zhang Gaixia
Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications, Varennes, Québec, J3×1P7, Canada.
Clean Energy Innovation (CEI) Research Center, National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Vancouver, BC, V6T 1W5, Canada.
Adv Mater. 2025 Aug;37(33):e2505287. doi: 10.1002/adma.202505287. Epub 2025 May 30.
Integrating renewable electricity and concentrated CO from direct air capture, electrochemical CO reduction reactions (eCORR) offer a promising pathway for converting CO into fuel chemicals, enabling the closure of the carbon loop in a sustainable manner. The clean H produced via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during water electrolysis can replace traditional fossil fuels without additional CO emissions. Achieving large-scale and high-efficiency eCORR and HER requires the development of rational electrolyzer designs, which are crucial for industrial implementation. This review examines recent innovations in system designs for eCORR, HER, and the latest advances in in situ cell designs for operando characterization during electrochemical reactions. It focuses on cell improvements in flow patterns, membrane electrode assemblies, and electrolyte engineering to maximize catalytic activities at the industrial level. Besides, the review discusses optimizing counter-anodic reactions to improve the energy efficiency of eCORR and water electrolysis, offering insights into the design of catalytic systems with efficient energy utilization. Furthermore, it explores the integration of eCORR and HER with other electrochemical systems (e.g., fuel cells), highlighting their potential role in the decarbonization of future industrial processes. Finally, the summary, challenge, and outlook on the industrial-scale eCORR and water electrolysis system designs are concluded.
将可再生电力与直接空气捕获产生的高浓度一氧化碳相结合,电化学一氧化碳还原反应(eCORR)为将一氧化碳转化为燃料化学品提供了一条有前景的途径,能够以可持续的方式实现碳循环的闭合。通过水电解过程中的析氢反应(HER)产生的清洁氢气可以替代传统化石燃料,且不会产生额外的一氧化碳排放。要实现大规模、高效率的eCORR和HER,需要开发合理的电解槽设计,这对于工业应用至关重要。本文综述了eCORR、HER系统设计的最新创新以及用于电化学反应过程中操作表征的原位电池设计的最新进展。它着重于在流动模式、膜电极组件和电解质工程方面对电池进行改进,以在工业层面上最大化催化活性。此外,本文还讨论了优化对阳极反应以提高eCORR和水电解的能源效率,为设计具有高效能源利用的催化系统提供见解。此外,还探讨了eCORR和HER与其他电化学系统(如燃料电池)的集成,突出了它们在未来工业过程脱碳中的潜在作用。最后,对工业规模的eCORR和水电解系统设计进行了总结、挑战分析和展望。