Investigation of Copper Nanoparticle and Bimetallic Catalysts for Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide

Increasing global population and energy needs are draining sources of fossil fuels at an unsustainable rate and have affected global climate in a shocking manner. The development of renewable energy sources is underway, but these suffer from variable returns. The amount of energy derivable from the sun and wind varies greatly month to month, day to day, and even between day and night. This problem necessitates the development of better energy storage mechanisms, so that excess energy can be captured and used at times when energy production is low. Carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction is a promising solution to these problems. If paired with a renewable energy source, CO¬¬2 electroreduction can store energy in hydrocarbon products via the recycling of CO2, reducing energy reliance on fossil fuels and curbing net CO2 emissions. In this project, the reaction products of several copper catalysts were studied using chronoamperometry and the catalysts were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. Four different types of catalysts were studied: ball-milled nanoporous copper catalysts, mortar and pestle ground nanoporous copper catalysts, rhodium copper catalysts, and iridium copper catalysts.No embargoAcademic Major: Chemistr