Researchers make alcohol out of thin air Precis

Researchers make alcohol out of thin air

Precise tuning of the process

In his PhD thesis Ming Ma, working in the group of Dr. Wilson A. Smith, describes the processes that take place at the nanoscale when different metals are used in the electroreduction of CO2. For example, using copper nanowires in the electroreduction process leads to the production of hydrocarbons, while nanoporous silver can produce CO. Furthermore, as Ma discovered, the process can be very precisely regulated by changing the lengths of the nanowires, and the electric potential. By tuning these conditions, he is able to produce any carbon based product, or combinations in any ratio desired , thus producing the resources for the three follow up processes described above.

Using metal alloys in the process leads to even more interesting results. While platinum on its own produces hydrogen, and gold generates CO, an alloy of these two metals unexpectedly also produces formic acid (HCOOH) in relatively large quantities. Formic acid potentially has a very promising use in fuel cells.
https://phys.org/news/2017-09-alcohol-thin-air.html#jCp