Dilute alloy catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11959183-B2
Application number	US-202017061165-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2020
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

A product includes a dilute alloy catalyst for carbon dioxide reduction. The catalyst has a majority component and at least one minority component. The majority component is present in a concentration of greater than 90 atomic percent of the catalyst. The majority component is copper, and each minority component is selected from the group consisting of: a transition metal, a main group metal, a lanthanide, and a semimetal. A method includes forming a product on a cathode. The product includes a dilute alloy catalyst for carbon dioxide reduction. The catalyst has a majority component and at least one minority component. The majority component is present in a concentration of greater than 90 atomic percent of the catalyst. The majority component is copper, and each minority component is selected from the group consisting of: a transition metal, a main group metal, a lanthanide, and a semimetal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A product, the product comprising:
a dilute alloy catalyst for carbon dioxide reduction, the catalyst having a majority component and at least one minority component; and a cathode, the catalyst being coupled to the cathode,
wherein the majority component of the catalyst is present in a concentration of greater than 90 atomic percent of the catalyst,
wherein the majority component is copper,
wherein each minority component of the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of: a transition metal, a main group metal, a lanthanide, and a semimetal.

2. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is porous, wherein at least 50% of the catalyst by volume is void space.

3. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one minority component includes aluminum in a concentration of 0.1 to less than 10 atomic percent of the catalyst.

4. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one minority component includes gallium in a concentration of 0.1 to less than 10 atomic percent of the catalyst.

5. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one minority component is selected from the group consisting of: gold and silver.

6. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one minority component includes an element selected from the group consisting of: titanium, calcium, and magnesium.

7. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one minority component includes boron.

8. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one minority component is present in a concentration of less than 6 atomic percent of the catalyst.

9. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is configured to catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide to methane.

10. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is configured to catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide to ethylene.

11. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is a single phase alloy of the majority component and the at least one minority component.

12. The product as recited in claim 11 , wherein the catalyst includes ball milled single phase particles of the majority component and the at least one minority component.

13. The product as recited in claim 1 , comprising a cathode, the catalyst being coupled to the cathode.

14. The product as recited in claim 13 , comprising a vessel and an anode, the cathode and the anode being positioned in the vessel and spaced apart from one another, the vessel having a membrane positioned between the cathode and the anode.

15. A method for forming the product of claim 1 , the method comprising: forming the catalyst on the cathode.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein forming the catalyst on the cathode includes applying the catalyst directly to the cathode.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein applying the catalyst directly to the cathode includes magnetron sputtering.

18. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein applying the catalyst directly to the cathode includes e-beam evaporation.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein applying the catalyst directly to the cathode includes electrodeposition.

20. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the catalyst is integrated into an ink, wherein forming the catalyst on the cathode includes ink jetting.

21. The method as recited in claim 15 , comprising positioning the cathode in a vessel and positioning an anode in the vessel, the vessel having a membrane positioned between the cathode and anode.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Biener Juergen
• Akhade Sneha
• Biener Monika
• Qi Zhen
• Varley Joel
• Weitzner Stephen
• Vedharathinam Vedasri

Classifications

• C25B11/081 Primary

  the element being a noble metal · CPC title

• B05D1/02

  performed by spraying · CPC title

• C22C9/01 Primary

  with aluminium as the next major constituent · CPC title

• C22C9/02

  with tin as the next major constituent · CPC title

• C22C9/04

  with zinc as the next major constituent · CPC title