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Mechanistic insights into carbon dioxide utilization by superoxide ion generated electrochemically in ionic liquid electrolyte†
Rozita Yusoff
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics Pub Date : 12/08/2020 00:00:00 , DOI:10.1039/D0CP04903D
Abstract

Understanding the reaction mechanism that controls the one-electron electrochemical reduction of oxygen is essential for sustainable use of the superoxide ion (O2˙) during CO2 conversion. Here, stable generation of O2˙ in butyltrimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMAmm+][TFSI] ionic liquid (IL) was first detected at −0.823 V vs. Ag/AgCl using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The charge transfer coefficient associated with the process was ∼0.503. It was determined that [BMAmm+][TFSI] is a task-specific IL with a large negative isovalue surface density accrued from the [BMAmm+] cation with negatively charged C(sp2) and C(sp3). Consequently, [BMAmm+][TFSI] is less susceptible to the nucleophilic effect of O2˙ because only 8.4% O2˙ decay was recorded from 3 h long-term stability analysis. The CV analysis also detected that O2˙ mediated CO2 conversion in [BMAmm+][TFSI] at −0.806 V vs. Ag/AgCl as seen by the disappearance of the oxidative faradaic current of O2˙. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) detected the mechanism of O2˙ generation and CO2 conversion in [BMAmm+][TFSI] for the first time. The EIS parameters in O2 saturated [BMAmm+][TFSI] were different from those detected in O2/CO2 saturated [BMAmm+][TFSI] or CO2 saturated [BMAmm+][TFSI]. This was rationalized to be due to the formation of a [BMAmm+][TFSI] film on the GC electrode, creating a 2.031 × 10−9 μF cm−2 double-layer capacitance (CDL). Therefore, during the O2˙ generation and CO2 utilization in [BMAmm+][TFSI], the CDL increased to 5.897 μF cm−2 and 7.763 μF cm−2, respectively. The CO2 in [BMAmm+][TFSI] was found to be highly unlikely to be electrochemically converted due to the high charge transfer resistance of 6.86 × 1018 kΩ. Subsequently, O2˙ directly mediated the CO2 conversion through a nucleophilic addition reaction pathway. These results offer new and sustainable opportunities for utilizing CO2 by reactive oxygen species in ionic liquid media.

Graphical abstract: Mechanistic insights into carbon dioxide utilization by superoxide ion generated electrochemically in ionic liquid electrolyte
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