Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium

CO2 electrochemical reduction reactions (CO2ERR) has shown great promise in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also producing useful chemicals. In this contribution, we describe the CO2ERR at different catalysts using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate [emim][EtSO4] ionic liquid (IL) as...

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Main Authors: Sayyar Muhammad, Asad Ali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Chemistry
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2025.1515903/full
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author Sayyar Muhammad
Asad Ali
author_facet Sayyar Muhammad
Asad Ali
author_sort Sayyar Muhammad
collection DOAJ
description CO2 electrochemical reduction reactions (CO2ERR) has shown great promise in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also producing useful chemicals. In this contribution, we describe the CO2ERR at different catalysts using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate [emim][EtSO4] ionic liquid (IL) as a solvent and as a supporting electrolyte. CO2ERR occurs at Ag and Cu catalysts at a lower overpotential than that at Au, Pt, and boron-doped diamond (BDD) catalysts. In addition, we report that ILs play a better co-catalytic role when used as a supporting electrolyte during CO2ERR in an acetonitrile (AcN) medium than the conventional supporting electrolyte, tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate [TBA][PF6] in AcN. Furthermore, it is found that imidazolium-based cations ([emim]+) play a significant co-catalytic role during the reduction compared to [TBA]+ and pyrrolidinium [empyrr]+ cations, while anions of the ILs play no such role. The formation of CO from the CO2ERR was detected using cyclic voltammetry at an Ag catalyst both in [emim][EtSO4] as well as in an AcN solvent containing [emim][EtSO4] as a supporting electrolyte. The product of the CO2 reduction in this IL medium at the Ag catalyst is CO, which can be converted to synthetic liquid fuels by coupling the process with the Fischer–Tropsch process or through the conversion of CO2 into fuels based on green hydrogen by the Sabatier process, that is, methanation of CO2 on industrial scale, in the future.
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spelling doaj-art-84810cd5b00148c593433df7058bd0d42025-08-20T02:16:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Chemistry2296-26462025-04-011310.3389/fchem.2025.15159031515903Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile mediumSayyar Muhammad0Asad Ali1Department of Chemistry, Islamia College Peshawar, Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanEnergy engineering, Division of Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, SwedenCO2 electrochemical reduction reactions (CO2ERR) has shown great promise in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also producing useful chemicals. In this contribution, we describe the CO2ERR at different catalysts using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate [emim][EtSO4] ionic liquid (IL) as a solvent and as a supporting electrolyte. CO2ERR occurs at Ag and Cu catalysts at a lower overpotential than that at Au, Pt, and boron-doped diamond (BDD) catalysts. In addition, we report that ILs play a better co-catalytic role when used as a supporting electrolyte during CO2ERR in an acetonitrile (AcN) medium than the conventional supporting electrolyte, tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate [TBA][PF6] in AcN. Furthermore, it is found that imidazolium-based cations ([emim]+) play a significant co-catalytic role during the reduction compared to [TBA]+ and pyrrolidinium [empyrr]+ cations, while anions of the ILs play no such role. The formation of CO from the CO2ERR was detected using cyclic voltammetry at an Ag catalyst both in [emim][EtSO4] as well as in an AcN solvent containing [emim][EtSO4] as a supporting electrolyte. The product of the CO2 reduction in this IL medium at the Ag catalyst is CO, which can be converted to synthetic liquid fuels by coupling the process with the Fischer–Tropsch process or through the conversion of CO2 into fuels based on green hydrogen by the Sabatier process, that is, methanation of CO2 on industrial scale, in the future.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2025.1515903/fullcyclic voltammetryelectrocatalysisionic liquidsco-catalystCO2 mitigation
spellingShingle Sayyar Muhammad
Asad Ali
Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium
Frontiers in Chemistry
cyclic voltammetry
electrocatalysis
ionic liquids
co-catalyst
CO2 mitigation
title Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium
title_full Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium
title_fullStr Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium
title_full_unstemmed Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium
title_short Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 on an Ag catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, with its co-catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium
title_sort efficient electrocatalytic reduction of co2 on an ag catalyst in 1 ethyl 3 methylimidazolium ethylsulfate with its co catalytic role as a supporting electrolyte during the reduction in an acetonitrile medium
topic cyclic voltammetry
electrocatalysis
ionic liquids
co-catalyst
CO2 mitigation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2025.1515903/full
work_keys_str_mv AT sayyarmuhammad efficientelectrocatalyticreductionofco2onanagcatalystin1ethyl3methylimidazoliumethylsulfatewithitscocatalyticroleasasupportingelectrolyteduringthereductioninanacetonitrilemedium
AT asadali efficientelectrocatalyticreductionofco2onanagcatalystin1ethyl3methylimidazoliumethylsulfatewithitscocatalyticroleasasupportingelectrolyteduringthereductioninanacetonitrilemedium