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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Fe-RedOx-Cat (Fe complexes for Reduction/Oxidation Catalysis)

Teaser

Summary

The primary energy source that drives our society, fossil fuels, is dwindling and its utilization has severe consequences for the environment, including pollution and climate change. Finding a clean and sustainable, alternative energy source is one of the major challenges that our society is currently facing. The use of CO2 as a precursor to fuels is especially attractive because the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased sharply as a consequence of industrial activity. The effect of this process is the serious global warming that we are suffering, in which CO2 acts as the most notorious greenhouse gas. Taking into account the availability of CO2 feedstock, coupled with its detrimental environmental effects, efficient conversion to more valuable-add products (such as CO, formic acid or methane) is of crucial economic, environmental and societal interest to promote technology-driven prosperity.

The Fe-RedOx-Cat project aims to introduce a new family of efficient, robust and selective iron-based electro-catalysts for CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation.

Work performed

During the outgoing phase of the project, efforts have been devoted in the synthesis of the new family of iron complexes. A new, reliable synthetic approach has been developed to avoid the formation of undesired homoleptic iron complexes. With the new catalyst in hand, their properties have been studied in CO2 electro-reduction. A detailed mechanistic study has allowed designing and synthesizing a second generation of iron electrocatalysts with improved efficiency.

Final results

The properties of the new iron complexes will be tested in electrocatalytic H2O oxidation during the return phase of the action. If this reaction is catalyzed successfully, this will involve the first example of iron complexes capable to promote electrochemical CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation, therefore involving a breakthrough in the field of solar fuels cells.