Ethylene Electrosynthesis from Acetylene at Ampere‐Level Current Density via Promoting Interparticle Mass Transport
Abstract
Abstract The electrocatalytic acetylene semi‐hydrogenation (EASH) driven by renewable energy offers an important non‐petroleum route for ethylene production, yet suffers from insufficient reaction rate, ethylene selectivity, and energy efficiency. While tailoring catalytically active structures is effective for improving the EASH performance, the effects of mass transport at the mesoscale are poorly understood. Here, we show quantitatively the crucial role of interparticle mass transport within the catalyst layer of a gas diffusion electrode. Increasing the average interparticle distance of Cu cubes remarkably improves the EASH performance. The Cu cube electrode with a large average interparticle distance of 265 nm exhibits an ethylene Faradaic efficiency of 97.4% at a current density of 1.0 A cm −2 and a maximum ethylene partial current density as high as 1.5 A cm −2 in an alkaline membrane electrode assembly electrolyzer. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, operando Raman spectroscopy, and finite element simulation results reveal that increasing the interparticle distance of Cu cubes can effectively promote interparticle mass transport, which accelerates acetylene adsorption and ethylene desorption, thus resulting in the excellent ethylene electrosynthesis performance. This work underscores the importance of tuning mesoscopic mass transport for improving electrocatalytic performance.
Article Details
Authors (8)
Chuanchuan Yan
State Key Laboratory of Catalysis Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
Yi Wang
Youwen Rong
Department of Chemistry Advanced Institute for Future Energy Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrochemical and Thermochemical Conversion for Resources Recycling State Key Laboratory of Porous Materials for Separation and Conversion iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials) Fudan University Shanghai 200433 China
Xiaozhi Su
Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Zhangjiang Laboratory, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute
Xiaomin Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials)
Dunfeng Gao
State Key Laboratory of Catalysis Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics
Guoxiong Wang
State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials) Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics
Xinhe Bao
State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials) Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics