CO2 capture and electro-reduction with the aid of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents

The development of CO 2 capture and electro-reduction technologies offers a promising way to mitigate CO 2 emissions and enable CO 2 utilization under mild and sustainable conditions. However, current technologies still face challenges, including the high energy usage associated with CO 2 capture, and the low selectivity and limited reaction rates in CO 2 electro-reduction. Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs), owing to their tunable nature, high thermal stability and CO 2 solubility, have emerged as versatile materials for addressing these bottlenecks. In our work, a series of ILs and DESs were systematically designed and modified with co-solvents or porous materials to enhance CO 2 capture performance. Comparative studies with conventional sorbents demonstrated the superior CO 2 capture performance of IL/DESs-based systems, highlighting their potential for industrial application. In addition, ILs/DESs were also employed as electrolytes in CO 2 electro-reduction, facilitating the conversion of CO 2 into value-added products. A techno-economic analysis was conducted for several possible products. Among them, CO was identified as the most economically product. To further enhance the catalytic performance, novel electrocatalysts were developed and evaluated, showing significant improvements. Nevertheless, continued innovation is still required to achieve a technological breakthrough toward scalable and efficient CO 2 capture and electro-reduction technologies.