Will advance CO2 recycling with the design of highly efficient catalysts, on the way to realizing a carbon neutral society
Hitachi, seeking to realize CO2 recycling by means of electrochemical reactions, has developed technology making use of extremely brilliant X-rays generated by the large synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8*1 for real-time visualization of the catalyst*2 state during a reaction. This technology is expected to make possible the design of highly efficient catalysts by obtaining specific guides for improving catalyst reactivity and durability. Through collaborative research with universities, research institutions, and corporations, Hitachi is promoting the development of CO2 recycling technology by means of electrochemical reactions, contributing to the realization of a sustainable carbon neutral society.
A promising recent approach to achieving a carbon neutral society employs technology for capturing CO2, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere and recycling it. One such technology involves reduction of the captured CO2 to ethylene (C2H4) or other useful chemical raw material by electrochemical reaction. Of key importance in this technology is the role of the catalyst in efficiently facilitating the chemical reaction. With conventional methods, however, only the state before and after the reaction could be analyzed, leaving unknown the status of the catalyst during the reaction.
For this project, an electrochemical cell was newly developed, able to perform X-ray measurement concurrently with the electrochemical reaction. This was merged with a scanning X-ray fluorescence microscopy that uses an X-ray microbeam,*3 one kind of synchrotron radiation measurement technology, a field in which Hitachi has conducted many years of research and development. In this way, it became possible to observe in real time the process by which the catalyst (copper in this study) on a porous electrode becomes dispersed inside the electrode during a reaction (Figure 1). The changes in the state of the catalyst as visualized by this technology are a new discovery, not foreseen up to now, providing specific guides for improving catalyst reactivity and durability.
Figure 1: Real-time visualization of catalyst state during an electrochemical reaction, using a scanning X-ray fluorescence microscopy with an X-ray microbeam
This technology is not limited to CO2 recycling, being applicable to other kinds of electrochemical reactions as well, such as in water electrolysis and storage batteries. Through collaborative research with universities, research institutions, and corporations, Hitachi will continue promoting the development of CO2 recycling technology by means of electrochemical reactions, contributing to the realization of a sustainable carbon neutral society.
This technology is scheduled to be announced at PRiME 2024,*4 being held from October 6 to 11, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
*1 A facility generating the world’s most powerful synchrotron radiation, located in Harima Science Park City in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Synchrotron radiation is a high-energy magnetic wave (light) emitted from an electron when it is accelerated to almost the speed of light and the path of travel of the electron is forced to bend in a magnetic field. Since the brightness of the light is more than 10,000 times that of ordinary X-ray equipments, it can make visible things that cannot be seen by ordinary X-ray equipments. Hitachi is carrying out research and development on the use of synchrotron radiation in diverse technology fields, including through its participation from December 1996 to March 2024 in the SUNBEAM Consortium, formed to promote construction and use of industrial beamlines.
*2 A substance that facilitates a chemical reaction. By choosing a catalyst well suited to the target chemical reaction, the reaction rate can be accelerated and the selectivity of the reaction can be raised.
*3 The material to be observed (sample) is irradiated by a focused X-ray microbeam, and the elements in the sample are identified based on the fluorescent X-ray having element-specific energy emitted back from the irradiated material. A micron-order element distribution image is obtained by high-precision scanning of the sample.
*4 PRiME 2024 (Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical & Solid‐State Science)
For more information, use the enquiry form below to contact the Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd. Please make sure to include the title of the article.
https://www8.hitachi.co.jp/inquiry/hitachi-ltd/hqrd/news/en/form.jsp
