Ionomers impact the performance of gas diffusion electrodes for electrochemical CO₂ reduction

Title data

Weseler, Lydia ; Allam, Mohamed A. ; Capdevila Ibanez, Laia ; Roth, Christina ; Turek, Thomas:
Ionomers impact the performance of gas diffusion electrodes for electrochemical CO₂ reduction.
In: Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering. Vol. 51 (2026) . - 101233.
ISSN 2211-3398
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2026.101233

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Abstract in another language

Ionomers modulate the microenvironment in gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for electrochemical CO2 reduction and can play a decisive role in the development of active and stable electrodes required for industrial implementation. This is achieved by different mechanisms influencing the adsorption and transport parameters, local values of pH and reactant concentrations as well as the wettability of the pore system. We analyze the existing literature describing the impact of ionomers on GDEs for CO2 reduction on silver catalysts, yielding carbon monoxide, and on copper catalysts promoting the formation of C2+ products. Despite remarkable progress in recent years, it is still challenging to attribute the changes in the electrode performance to the distinct roles of ionomers due to the multitude of processes occurring and the complexity of the electrodes. We propose to complement advanced experimental techniques for operando studies of working electrodes with simulations obtained from model systems with simplified architectures.