RIPCO2 - print catalytic membranes to convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) to valuable compounds/chemicals represents a promising pathway for addressing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas levels while producing valuable feedstocks. This study explores the use of nickel-based catalysts for CO2RR, leveraging the advantages of reactive inkjet printing to precisely deposit the catalyst directly onto carbon gas diffusion layer. This approach involves formulating an inkjet ink from nickel salt, which upon printing, forms a precursor layer. Subsequent exposure to a Xenon flashlamp that induces the reduction of the nickel salt into small nickel nanoparticles well dispersed over carbon layer, which is crucial for the catalytic activity for CO2RR. The whole process was termed Print Light Synthesis.

The gas diffusion electrodes were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM and the catalytic performance for CO2RR were evaluated by standard electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and chronoamperometry (CA) that assesses electrode stability over time. Additionally, the Faradaic efficiency, which measures the proportion of electrical current contributing to the desired CO₂ chemical reaction, is evaluated to determine the process's selectivity.

The results demonstrate that nickel nanoparticles exhibit catalytic properties for the conversion rate of CO₂ to CO. The reactive inkjet printing method proves effective for controlled deposition of nickel-based catalysts, offering a scalable and cost-efficient approach for fabricating high-performance electrochemical devices.

In conclusion, this study presents an innovative approach (Print Light Synthesis) to manufacture gas diffusion electrodes for electrochemical CO₂ reduction, highlighting the synergy between reactive inkjet printing and photothermal nanoparticle formation. The findings suggest that nickel-based catalysts, when properly fabricated and characterized, can play a crucial role in developing sustainable technologies for CO₂RR. Future work will focus on optimizing the ink formulation and printing parameters to further enhance catalytic performance and scalability of the process.

This research underscores the potential of the Print Light Synthesis process for the synthesis of catalysts, e.g. Nickel for the electrochemical conversion of CO₂, paving the way for more sustainable and efficient methods to address global carbon emissions and create value-added products.