The world has witnessed climate crises such as heavy rainfall and scorching heat for years now. The main cause of this issue is carbon dioxide, and we have been making efforts to reduce its emissions. Korean researchers have developed a technology for the reduction of carbon dioxide and the conversion of harmful CO2 into a valuable resource.

Dr. Kim, Young Eun from the Carbon Conversion Research Laboratory at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), along with President Yi Chang-keun, has developed Ni single-atom catalysts. These catalysts are able to convert CO2 into CO, which is a basic chemical used in the production of alcohol, plastic, and other valuable chemicals.

The electro-catalyst that has been developed requires 30 times less material compared to conventional Ag nanoparticle catalysts. Additionally, its production speed for CO is 7 times faster. Therefore, we anticipate a significant reduction in costs.

Furthermore, the researcher proposes a strategy to enhance the performance and long-term stability of the CO2 reduction reaction by focusing on the structure of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). A maximum Faradaic efficiency of 96.73% and a partial current density of 219.49 mA cm-2 for CO production were achieved using the MEA with the Ni-N’-/NCNT catalyst and an anion exchange membrane. In addition, the MEA exhibited long-term stability.

Dr. Kim, Young Eun, the leader of the research, states that we have developed a new technology for a critical material that converts CO2 to CO. This technology guarantees long-term stability and superior efficiency. Once we successfully develop MEAs and cells using cost-effective single-atom catalysts and transfer them to businesses for commercialization, carbon dioxide (CO2) will cease to be a problem and instead become a valuable resource.

This achievement has been published in ACS Energy Letters, which is the most prominent international academic journal in the field of materials and nanoscience with an impact factor of 22.