Electro- and Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction with [FeNi]-Chalcogenides

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Ulf-Peter Apfel; Professor Dr. Roland Marschall
• Subject Area: Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 397789315

Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas and assumed to be one of the key factors responsible for the current climate change. Despite its low reactivity, utilization of CO2 is of utmost interest for society and will contribute to lowering the increase of its total concentration in air. Besides its conversion into organic carbonates, the thermodynamic uphill conversion, reduction of CO2 to afford industrial important chemicals and fuels is a promising pathway towards the recycling of CO2 in an artificial carbon cycle. Especially, photo- and electrocatalytic reduction processes will be essential for such conversions into various products. Contrary to industrial catalysis, nature possesses highly sophisticated machineries to allow for a selective reduction of CO2 under mild conditions. Although such enzymatic active sites are well-known and comprise a [NiFe] heterobimetallic reaction center, this motif was not yet investigated for heterogeneous catalytic reduction of CO2. We herein aim at the characterization and advancement of [FeNi]- chalcogenides as heterogeneous photo- and electrocatalysts for the reduction of CO2 in a proof-of-principle study.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants