Issue 11, 2022

How membrane characteristics influence the performance of CO2 and CO electrolysis

Abstract

Due to the ability to produce sustainably carbon-based chemicals and fuels, CO2 electrolysis and the closely related CO electrolysis are advancing rapidly from fundamental studies toward industrial applications. Many near-room temperature CO2 and CO electrolysis (CO(2)E) technologies adopt features from proton exchange membrane fuel cells and H2 electrolyzers. However, CO(2)E's selectivity and overall performance are highly sensitive to a multitude of parameters, adding an extra degree of complexity. One often-overlooked parameter in optimizing these devices is the ion exchange membranes (IEM). Here we critically review the IEM performance variables of most relevance to CO(2)E, which leads to identifying several parameters in need of substantial more scientific understanding. We begin with a summary of the working principles of the three main IEM types for CO(2)E, then focus on anion exchange membranes (AEM) since AEMs provide the most favorable local alkaline environment for CO(2)E at the cathode. Critical issues for AEMs in CO2E include (i) ion and water transport in the membrane, (ii) ionic conductivity, and (iii) chemical stability. We conclude with an overview of the state-of-the-art IEM reported in high current density (j ≥ 100 mA cm−2) CO2 and CO electrolysis devices.

Graphical abstract: How membrane characteristics influence the performance of CO2 and CO electrolysis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
07 Jun 2022
Accepted
05 Sep 2022
First published
15 Sep 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Energy Environ. Sci., 2022,15, 4440-4469

How membrane characteristics influence the performance of CO2 and CO electrolysis

S. Garg, C. A. Giron Rodriguez, T. E. Rufford, J. R. Varcoe and B. Seger, Energy Environ. Sci., 2022, 15, 4440 DOI: 10.1039/D2EE01818G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, 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 commercial 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