Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreduction
Abstract Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO2RR) in aqueous systems provides a sustainable pathway to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels. However, the limited solubility and slow diffusion of CO2 in aqueous electrolyte impose significant mass transfer barriers, particularly at hi...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | Communications Chemistry |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01645-5 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849226611383074816 |
|---|---|
| author | Jieyang Li Changhao Luo Huanlei Zhang Zijia Huang Zhan Jiang Jianuo Chen Thomas S. Miller Kun Jiang Rhodri Jervis Yongye Liang Meng Lin |
| author_facet | Jieyang Li Changhao Luo Huanlei Zhang Zijia Huang Zhan Jiang Jianuo Chen Thomas S. Miller Kun Jiang Rhodri Jervis Yongye Liang Meng Lin |
| author_sort | Jieyang Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO2RR) in aqueous systems provides a sustainable pathway to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels. However, the limited solubility and slow diffusion of CO2 in aqueous electrolyte impose significant mass transfer barriers, particularly at high current densities. This study introduces a nanobubble-infused electrolyte strategy that leverages the unique properties of nanobubbles, including localized CO2 enrichment, enhanced diffusion, and micro-convection to overcome these limitations. Compared to conventional CO2-saturated electrolytes, the nanobubble-infused electrolytes achieve a 10-fold increase in the volumetric mass transfer coefficient and a 42.3% increase in the limiting current density. Implementing this approach with a zero-gap liquid-fed electrolyzer featuring a hydrophilic diffusion medium further enhances mass transfer, yielding an additional 28% increase in limiting current density. Mechanistic insights from multiphysics simulations reveal that nanobubbles enhance CO2 availability near the catalyst, reduce overpotentials, and improve CO2RR selectivity by suppressing hydrogen evolution. By validating this scalable and robust approach across different catalysts, this work establishes nanobubble-infused electrolytes as a universal solution for addressing mass transfer challenges independent of catalyst choice in liquid-fed CO2RR and paves the way for industrial-scale CO2 conversion technologies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e3500ecdb9b04cf5aa06a3b9f5189c3e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2399-3669 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Chemistry |
| spelling | doaj-art-e3500ecdb9b04cf5aa06a3b9f5189c3e2025-08-24T11:12:20ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Chemistry2399-36692025-08-01811910.1038/s42004-025-01645-5Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreductionJieyang Li0Changhao Luo1Huanlei Zhang2Zijia Huang3Zhan Jiang4Jianuo Chen5Thomas S. Miller6Kun Jiang7Rhodri Jervis8Yongye Liang9Meng Lin10Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Printed Organic Electronic, Southern University of Science and TechnologyElectrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College LondonElectrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College LondonShanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan UniversityElectrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College LondonDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Printed Organic Electronic, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and TechnologyAbstract Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO2RR) in aqueous systems provides a sustainable pathway to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels. However, the limited solubility and slow diffusion of CO2 in aqueous electrolyte impose significant mass transfer barriers, particularly at high current densities. This study introduces a nanobubble-infused electrolyte strategy that leverages the unique properties of nanobubbles, including localized CO2 enrichment, enhanced diffusion, and micro-convection to overcome these limitations. Compared to conventional CO2-saturated electrolytes, the nanobubble-infused electrolytes achieve a 10-fold increase in the volumetric mass transfer coefficient and a 42.3% increase in the limiting current density. Implementing this approach with a zero-gap liquid-fed electrolyzer featuring a hydrophilic diffusion medium further enhances mass transfer, yielding an additional 28% increase in limiting current density. Mechanistic insights from multiphysics simulations reveal that nanobubbles enhance CO2 availability near the catalyst, reduce overpotentials, and improve CO2RR selectivity by suppressing hydrogen evolution. By validating this scalable and robust approach across different catalysts, this work establishes nanobubble-infused electrolytes as a universal solution for addressing mass transfer challenges independent of catalyst choice in liquid-fed CO2RR and paves the way for industrial-scale CO2 conversion technologies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01645-5 |
| spellingShingle | Jieyang Li Changhao Luo Huanlei Zhang Zijia Huang Zhan Jiang Jianuo Chen Thomas S. Miller Kun Jiang Rhodri Jervis Yongye Liang Meng Lin Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreduction Communications Chemistry |
| title | Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreduction |
| title_full | Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreduction |
| title_fullStr | Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreduction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreduction |
| title_short | Nanobubble-infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid-fed CO2 electroreduction |
| title_sort | nanobubble infused electrolytes for enhanced mass transfer in liquid fed co2 electroreduction |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01645-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jieyangli nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT changhaoluo nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT huanleizhang nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT zijiahuang nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT zhanjiang nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT jianuochen nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT thomassmiller nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT kunjiang nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT rhodrijervis nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT yongyeliang nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction AT menglin nanobubbleinfusedelectrolytesforenhancedmasstransferinliquidfedco2electroreduction |