Background
The electrochemical conversion of CO2 to multicarbon compounds such as ethylene, ethanol, acetic acid, propylene, and propanol would be a major scientific and technological breakthrough for industry and the economy. Avoiding fossil fuels, CO2 conversion could exploit cheap and abundant renewable electricity and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
Outcomes
Knowledge and outputs from the Research Themes will be applied to address the grand challenge of C-C coupling during CO2 electrolysis, a key reaction step in producing any multicarbon compound. Integrating innovations in catalysts, electrode, membrane and electrolyser design will significantly improve energy efficiency, while optimising operating life under practical working conditions will facilitate further scale-up and pre-commercialisation development.