Experimental and Modeling Study for the Solar-Driven CO<sub>2</sub> Electrochemical Reduction to CO
With the rising levels of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>, electrochemistry shows great promise in decarbonizing industrial processes by converting CO<sub>2</sub> into valuable products through scalable and sustainable technologies. In this framework, the present study investigate...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/549 |
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| Summary: | With the rising levels of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>, electrochemistry shows great promise in decarbonizing industrial processes by converting CO<sub>2</sub> into valuable products through scalable and sustainable technologies. In this framework, the present study investigates the solar-driven CO<sub>2</sub> reduction toward carbon monoxide, achieved by the integration between the electrochemical reactor and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), both in experimental and modeling perspectives. COMSOL<sup>®</sup> Multiphysics 6.3 was used to develop a detailed finite element method model of the electrochemical cell integrated with a photovoltaic module, validated with the experimental results that demonstrated a strong correlation. A 2D model was designed, incorporating cathode and anode regions divided by an ion-exchange membrane. The model includes platinum foil and silver nanoparticles as catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction and CO<sub>2</sub> reduction reaction, respectively. Integration with the fundamental equations of the DSSCs was simulated to analyze the solar-driven CO<sub>2</sub> reduction behavior under solar irradiance variations, offering a valuable tool for optimizing operating conditions and predicting the device performance under different environmental conditions. The integrated device successfully produces CO with a faradaic efficiency of 73.85% at a current density of J = 3.35 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> under 1 sun illumination, with the result validated and reproduced by the mathematical model. Under reduced illumination conditions of 0.8 and 0.6 suns, faradaic efficiencies of 68.5% and 64.1% were achieved, respectively. |
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| ISSN: | 2076-3417 |