Issue 5, 2023

Photo-assisted electrochemical CO2 reduction at a boron-doped diamond cathode

Abstract

We report on the coupling of photoelectrochemical water oxidation and electrochemical CO2 reduction to formic acid for a photoelectrochemical system capable of light and electrochemical energy conversion to chemical energy. Titanium oxide nanotubes (TiO2 NT) and boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes were used as a photoanode and a cathode, respectively. From CO2 electrochemical reduction at BDD, formic acid was obtained with a faradaic efficiency of about 86% and the system provided an overall energy conversion efficiency of 5.5%. From previous CO2 reduction at a dark electrolyzer based on a BDD cathode, the cell voltage was reduced from 2.7 V to 1.4 V with 52% saving of the electrical energy input. This resulted in an increase from 50% to nearly 80% of electrical-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency.

Graphical abstract: Photo-assisted electrochemical CO2 reduction at a boron-doped diamond cathode

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 jan 2023
Accepted
06 apr 2023
First published
07 apr 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Energy Adv., 2023,2, 733-738

Photo-assisted electrochemical CO2 reduction at a boron-doped diamond cathode

G. Iwai, A. Fiorani, J. Du and Y. Einaga, Energy Adv., 2023, 2, 733 DOI: 10.1039/D3YA00054K

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