Boosting CO 2 electrolysis performance via calcium-oxide-looping combined with in situ exsolved Ni–Fe nanoparticles in a symmetrical solid oxide electrolysis cell

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2020-08, Vol.8 (30), p.14895-14899
• Main Authors: Tian, Yunfeng, Liu, Yun, Naden, Aaron, Jia, Lichao, Xu, Min, Cui, Wen, Chi, Bo, Pu, Jian, Irvine, John T. S., Li, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/D0TA05518B

The electrocatalysis of CO 2 to valuable chemical products is an important strategy to combat global warming. Symmetrical solid oxide electrolysis cells have been extensively recognized for their CO 2 electrolysis abilities due to their high efficiency, low cost, and reliability. Here, we produced a novel electrode containing calcium oxide-looping and in situ exsolved Ni–Fe nanoparticles by performing a one-step reduction of La 0.6 Ca 0.4 Fe 0.8 Ni 0.2 O 3−δ (LCaFN). The CO 2 captured by CaO was electrolyzed in situ by the Ni–Fe nanocatalysts. The cell with this special cathode showed a higher current density (0.632 A cm −2 vs. 0.32 A cm −2 ) and lower polarization resistance (0.399 Ω cm 2 vs. 0.662 Ω cm 2 ) than the unreduced LCaFN cathode at 800 °C with an applied voltage of 1.3 V. Use of the developed novel electrode offers a promising strategy for CO 2 electrolysis.