Silver is an effective electrocatalyst for the reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and other products.  Carbon-supported organometallic complexes of Ag with nitrogen-based ligands have been shown to effectively reduce CO2 with performance comparable to that of carbon-supported Ag alone, with increased Faradaic efficiency and less H2 production.  The great decrease in the amount of Ag loading required makes these complexes attractive as CO2 reduction catalysts.  We employ in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in order to investigate the mechanism by which CO2 reduction proceeds at silver electrodes in the presence of these nitrogen-based ligands, as well as the structural interactions of the Ag-ligand complex at the electrode interface.  The study of reaction intermediates and products near and adsorbed to the electrode surface provides insight into the process of CO2 reduction and its byproducts even at relatively low overpotentials.

In situ SERS of CO<sub>2</sub> reduction on silver with nitrogen-based co-catalysts

246th National Meeting (2013)

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In situ SERS of CO2 reduction on silver with nitrogen-based co-catalysts

In situ SERS of CO₂ reduction on silver with nitrogen-based co-catalysts