Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, including Adam Rondinone, made a catalyst by embedding copper nanoparticles in nitrogen-laced carbon spikes just 50 to 80 nanometres tall. With an electric current of only 1.2 volts, it converted carbon dioxide dissolved in water into ethanol with a yield of 63 percent, effectively running combustion in reverse.
The team had expected to make methanol, and reactions like this normally give small amounts of several products such as methane, ethylene and carbon monoxide. The sharp tips of the nanospikes concentrate the electrochemical reaction, limiting side reactions. Because the catalyst uses inexpensive materials and works at room temperature, the researchers suggest it could store surplus electricity from solar and wind farms as ethanol. The results were published in ChemistrySelect.
via Scientists Just Accidentally Discovered a Process That Turns CO2 Directly Into Ethanol | ScienceAlert