Boosting CO₂ Conversion: How Solvents Help

Scientists are exploring a new way to turn carbon dioxide (CO₂) into useful chemicals. This process, called electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR), uses a special setup called a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The key is to design a good environment for the reaction to happen. This involves a layer called the catalyst layer (CL). The solvent around this layer plays a big role in how well the reaction works. Researchers have found that using a solvent like acetone can make the catalyst layer better. It helps the layer to be more water-repelling, which is important for the reaction. They used computer simulations and special tools to see how the solvent affects the reaction. They found that acetone creates a network that balances the amounts of CO₂ and water, which is great for making products with more than one carbon atom (C₂+). This new setup worked really well, giving a high efficiency of 80. 27% at a certain current.