Towards accelerated durability testing protocols for CO 2 electrolysis

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2020-11, Vol.8 (43), p.22557-22571
• Main Authors: Nwabara, U. O., de Heer, M. P., Cofell, E. R., Verma, S., Negro, E., Kenis, Paul J. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/D0TA08695A

In recent years, the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 (ECO 2 RR) to value-added chemicals, fuels, and intermediates has been proposed as a promising option for utilizing excess CO 2 emissions. ECO 2 RR could be integrated into existing CO 2 -emitting industrial processes to mitigate emissions. To get to that stage, however, ECO 2 RR cells and systems need to exhibit lifetimes of thousands of hours, similar to other commercially viable electrochemical systems. Accelerated durability testing (ADT) has been employed to rapidly screen the stability of these other electrochemical systems. Currently, most ECO 2 RR studies only report durability for tens of hours. Yet, once the ECO 2 RR field reaches longer system lifetimes as a whole, ADT studies will become necessary. In this perspective, we evaluate accelerated durability studies employed for fuel cells, water electrolyzers, and chlor alkali systems and apply the knowledge to suggest an appropriate ECO 2 RR ADT protocol, which is currently lacking.