Ionic liquid-mediated selective conversion of CO₂ to CO at low overpotentials.

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO(2))--a key component of artificial photosynthesis--has largely been stymied by the impractically high overpotentials necessary to drive the process. We report an electrocatalytic system that reduces CO(2) to carbon monoxide (CO) at overpotentials below 0.2 volt.