Engineering hydrophobicity on anion exchange membrane for stable CO2 electrochemical reduction in nonaqueous electrolyte†

Abstract

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) in aprotic electrolytes holds significant potential for mitigating CO2 emissions while producing valuable chemicals. However, challenges such as the hydrogen evolution reaction and electrolyte crossover, caused by the hydrophilicity of anion exchange membrane (AEM) used in the ECR system, greatly hinder its efficiency. This study introduces a facile hydrophobic modification strategy employing hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a cover layer for the AEM. This approach markedly enhances the ECR performance in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) catholyte.