Electrified synthesis of n-propanol using a dilute alloy catalyst

Yuanjun Chen; Xinyue Wang; Xiao Yan Li; Rui Kai Miao; Juncai Dong; Zilin Zhao; Chuhao Liu; Jianan Erick Huang; Jinhong Wu; Senlin Chu; Weiyan Ni; Zunmin Guo; Yi Xu; Pengfei Ou; Bingjun Xu; Yang Hou; David Sinton; Edward H. Sargent

doi:10.1038/s41929-025-01301-0

Electrified synthesis of n-propanol using a dilute alloy catalyst

Yuanjun Chen, Xinyue Wang, Xiao Yan Li, Rui Kai Miao, Juncai Dong, Zilin Zhao, Chuhao Liu, Jianan Erick Huang, Jinhong Wu, Senlin Chu, Weiyan Ni, Zunmin Guo, Yi Xu, Pengfei Ou, Bingjun Xu, Yang Hou^*, David Sinton^*, Edward H. Sargent^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

N-propanol is an important industrial solvent but the current industrial routes for its production rely on fossil fuels and generate high carbon dioxide emissions. Replacing fossil processes with electrochemical systems powered using renewable energy offers one route to reduce the carbon intensity of n-propanol manufacture. The electrosynthesis of n-propanol via carbon monoxide electroreduction relies on the coupling of C₁ and C₂ intermediates, and these are preferentially stabilized on different sites. Here we pursued the synthesis of catalysts in which a high-oxygen-affinity metal (such as Sn in the best catalysts herein) is present in dilute quantities within a Cu matrix. The Sn–Cu catalyst is then formed into a catalyst/carbon/ionomer heterojunction architecture that reverses electro-osmotic drag to concentrate the n-propanol produced. We achieve n-propanol electrosynthesis from carbon monoxide with a Faradaic efficiency of 47 ± 3% and a concentration of 30 wt% at an energy efficiency of 24%. We report stable n-propanol electrosynthesis for 120 h in a membrane-electrode assembly electrolyser. (Figure presented.)

Original language	English (US)
Article number	5425
Pages (from-to)	239-247
Number of pages	9
Journal	Nature Catalysis
Volume	8
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01301-0
State	Published - Mar 2025

Funding

We acknowledge funding support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. This research used synchrotron resources of the Advanced Photon Source, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the US Department of Energy, Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory, and was supported by the US Department of Energy under contract no. DE-AC02-06CH11357 as well as by the Canadian Light Source and its funding partners. DFT calculations were performed on the Niagara supercomputer at the SciNet HPC Consortium. SciNet is funded by: the Canada Foundation for Innovation; the Government of Ontario; the Ontario Research Fund\u2014Research Excellence and the University of Toronto. X.W. acknowledges the Zhejiang University Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Funding. W.N. acknowledges financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Postdoctoral Mobility Fellowship (grant no. P500PN_202906).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Catalysis
Bioengineering
Biochemistry
Process Chemistry and Technology

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10.1038/s41929-025-01301-0

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title = "Electrified synthesis of n-propanol using a dilute alloy catalyst",

abstract = "N-propanol is an important industrial solvent but the current industrial routes for its production rely on fossil fuels and generate high carbon dioxide emissions. Replacing fossil processes with electrochemical systems powered using renewable energy offers one route to reduce the carbon intensity of n-propanol manufacture. The electrosynthesis of n-propanol via carbon monoxide electroreduction relies on the coupling of C1 and C2 intermediates, and these are preferentially stabilized on different sites. Here we pursued the synthesis of catalysts in which a high-oxygen-affinity metal (such as Sn in the best catalysts herein) is present in dilute quantities within a Cu matrix. The Sn–Cu catalyst is then formed into a catalyst/carbon/ionomer heterojunction architecture that reverses electro-osmotic drag to concentrate the n-propanol produced. We achieve n-propanol electrosynthesis from carbon monoxide with a Faradaic efficiency of 47 ± 3% and a concentration of 30 wt% at an energy efficiency of 24%. We report stable n-propanol electrosynthesis for 120 h in a membrane-electrode assembly electrolyser. (Figure presented.)",

author = "Yuanjun Chen and Xinyue Wang and Li, {Xiao Yan} and Miao, {Rui Kai} and Juncai Dong and Zilin Zhao and Chuhao Liu and Huang, {Jianan Erick} and Jinhong Wu and Senlin Chu and Weiyan Ni and Zunmin Guo and Yi Xu and Pengfei Ou and Bingjun Xu and Yang Hou and David Sinton and Sargent, {Edward H.}",

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AU - Liu, Chuhao

AU - Huang, Jianan Erick

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AU - Xu, Yi

AU - Ou, Pengfei

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AU - Hou, Yang

AU - Sinton, David

AU - Sargent, Edward H.

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N2 - N-propanol is an important industrial solvent but the current industrial routes for its production rely on fossil fuels and generate high carbon dioxide emissions. Replacing fossil processes with electrochemical systems powered using renewable energy offers one route to reduce the carbon intensity of n-propanol manufacture. The electrosynthesis of n-propanol via carbon monoxide electroreduction relies on the coupling of C1 and C2 intermediates, and these are preferentially stabilized on different sites. Here we pursued the synthesis of catalysts in which a high-oxygen-affinity metal (such as Sn in the best catalysts herein) is present in dilute quantities within a Cu matrix. The Sn–Cu catalyst is then formed into a catalyst/carbon/ionomer heterojunction architecture that reverses electro-osmotic drag to concentrate the n-propanol produced. We achieve n-propanol electrosynthesis from carbon monoxide with a Faradaic efficiency of 47 ± 3% and a concentration of 30 wt% at an energy efficiency of 24%. We report stable n-propanol electrosynthesis for 120 h in a membrane-electrode assembly electrolyser. (Figure presented.)

AB - N-propanol is an important industrial solvent but the current industrial routes for its production rely on fossil fuels and generate high carbon dioxide emissions. Replacing fossil processes with electrochemical systems powered using renewable energy offers one route to reduce the carbon intensity of n-propanol manufacture. The electrosynthesis of n-propanol via carbon monoxide electroreduction relies on the coupling of C1 and C2 intermediates, and these are preferentially stabilized on different sites. Here we pursued the synthesis of catalysts in which a high-oxygen-affinity metal (such as Sn in the best catalysts herein) is present in dilute quantities within a Cu matrix. The Sn–Cu catalyst is then formed into a catalyst/carbon/ionomer heterojunction architecture that reverses electro-osmotic drag to concentrate the n-propanol produced. We achieve n-propanol electrosynthesis from carbon monoxide with a Faradaic efficiency of 47 ± 3% and a concentration of 30 wt% at an energy efficiency of 24%. We report stable n-propanol electrosynthesis for 120 h in a membrane-electrode assembly electrolyser. (Figure presented.)

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Electrified synthesis of n-propanol using a dilute alloy catalyst

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