Nitrogen-containing polymers as a platform for CO2electroreduction.
Heterogeneous electroreduction of CO2has received considerable attention in the past decade. However, none of the earlier reviews has been dedicated to nitrogen-containing polymers (N-polymers) as an emerging platform for conversion of CO2to industrially useful chemicals. The term 'platform' is used here to underscore that the role of N-polymers is not only to serve as direct catalysts (through loaded metals) but also as co-catalysts/promoters and stabilizing agents. This review covers the current state, advantages, challenges, and prospects of the application of N-polymer-metal composites, also referred as polymer functionalized, coated, or modified electrodes, as well as functional hybrid materials, for the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2. It briefly surveys the efficiencies of the N-polymer-metal electrodes already used for this application, methods of their fabrication, and proposed mechanisms of their catalytic activities.
Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Sathish
S
Ponnurangam
Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Irina V
IV
Chernyshova
Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: ps24@columbia.edu.
Ponisseril
P
Somasundaran
CO(2) reduction; Electrochemistry; Electron conducting polymers; Heterogeneous catalysis; Ion exchanging polymers; Metal nanoparticles; Metal-polymer complexes