Electrowetting limits electrochemical CO reduction in carbon-free gas diffusion electrodes.

CO electrolysis might be a key process to utilize intermittent renewable electricity for the sustainable production of hydrocarbon chemicals without relying on fossil fuels. Commonly used carbon-based gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) enable high Faradaic efficiencies for the desired carbon products at high current densities, but have limited stability. In this study, we explore the adaption of a carbon-free GDE from a Chlor-alkali electrolysis process as a cathode for gas-fed CO electrolysis.

When Flooding Is Not Catastrophic-Woven Gas Diffusion Electrodes Enable Stable CO Electrolysis.

Electrochemical CO reduction has the potential to use excess renewable electricity to produce hydrocarbon chemicals and fuels. Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) allow overcoming the limitations of CO mass transfer but are sensitive to flooding from (hydrostatic) pressure differences, which inhibits upscaling. We investigate the effect of the flooding behavior on the CO reduction performance.

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO Electrolyzers.

Electrochemical CO reduction is a promising process to store intermittent renewable energy in the form of chemical bonds and to meet the demand for hydrocarbon chemicals without relying on fossil fuels. Researchers in the field have used gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) to supply CO to the catalyst layer from the gas phase. This approach allows us to bypass mass transfer limitations imposed by the limited solubility and diffusion of CO in the liquid phase at a laboratory scale.