Issue 5, 2025

Electrocatalytic C–C coupling of CO2 and formaldehyde to synthesize acetate via membrane electrode assembly

Abstract

The electrocatalytic CO2 reaction with other gases to synthesize value-added products at high current densities is challenging due to the limited diffusion rate for low-solubility gases in aqueous electrolytes. To enhance the mass transfer process, herein, a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolyzer is employed to achieve high-rate electrochemical C–C coupling of CO2 and gaseous formaldehyde. Based on the simultaneous gas-phase delivery of reactants to the catalytic surface, an acetate production rate of 654 mg L−1 h−1 is achieved at a current density over 150 mA cm−2 on a Cu-MOF coated Cu2O catalyst. In situ FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, and in situ XAFS combined with DFT suggest that the energy barrier of C–C coupling between *CO and *CH2OH is significantly lowered due to the insertion of Cu-MOF, thus promoting the production of acetate. This work provides a novel strategy for electrochemical treatment of waste gas coupling to synthesize high-value products with potential industrial applications.

Graphical abstract: Electrocatalytic C–C coupling of CO2 and formaldehyde to synthesize acetate via membrane electrode assembly

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Oct 2024
Accepted
28 Dec 2024
First published
10 Jan 2025

Green Chem., 2025,27, 1488-1498

Electrocatalytic C–C coupling of CO2 and formaldehyde to synthesize acetate via membrane electrode assembly

S. Xu, J. Zheng, L. Sun, X. Pan, R. Yang, J. Zeng and G. Zhao, Green Chem., 2025, 27, 1488 DOI: 10.1039/D4GC05419A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements