Unlocking the potential of gallium for electrochemical CO2 reduction and the role of overlayer nickel for C-C coupling pathways

Pure gallium (Ga) is not widely studied for electrochemical CO2 reduction (EC CO2R) due toits low melting point near room temperature. However, in this study, metallic Ga was selected and subjected to EC CO2R under varying conditions of applied potentials, electrolytes, concentrations, and photoirradiation. The results showed that formate, CO, and H2 were the major products produced and were dependent on the conditions used. The introduction of nickel (Ni) on the Ga electrode was found to open up long chain C-C bond coupling Fischer-Tropsch synthesis pathways, resulting in the production of longchain C2-6 hydrocarbons. This research provides new and valuable insights into the use of Ga for electrochemical CO2 reduction and the development of Ga-based electrocatalysts for CO2 recycling. & COPY; 2023 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, metallic gallium (Ga) was used for electrochemical CO2 reduction (EC CO2R) under different conditions. The major products produced were formate, CO, and H2, which depended on the experimental conditions. The introduction of nickel (Ni) on the Ga electrode opened up long chain C-C bond coupling Fischer-Tropsch synthesis pathways, resulting in the production of long-chain C2-6 hydrocarbons. This research provides valuable insights into the use of Ga for electrochemical CO2 reduction and the development of Ga-based electrocatalysts for CO2 recycling. © 2023 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.