Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed self-supported nanowire electrodes that convert CO2 into carbon monoxide and n-propanol without relying on polymer binders. Using a 3D porous aluminum oxide template, the team built interconnected silver and copper nanowire electrodes. In an H-type cell, the silver electrode hit a CO Faradaic efficiency of 97.28% with a current density of 59.06 mA cm-2 and stayed stable for 50 hours. The copper version produced n-propanol with 17.47% Faradaic efficiency and reached a partial current density of 77.7 mA cm-2 in a flow cell. The work is still at lab scale. The key question for practical carbon utilization is whether the template-based manufacturing can scale, and how the electrodes perform under continuous, higher-current operation. Still, the results show that removing binders and structuring the electrode at the nanoscale can improve both activity and stability.
