Diaphragm-based carbon monoxide electrolyzers for multicarbon production under alkaline conditions
Wanyu Deng, Siyang Xing, Guilherme Warwick Parker Maia, Zhaoxi Wang, Bradie S. Crandall, Feng Jiao
Abstract
Abstract Transforming waste carbon into valuable fuels and chemicals is a key step toward sustainable manufacturing. One promising approach is the electrochemical conversion of carbon monoxide (CO), a product of CO 2 recycling, into energy-rich multicarbon (C 2+ ) compounds. However, current CO electrolyzers rely on anion exchange membranes (AEMs) that degrade over time when exposed to organic intermediates, limiting their practical use. Here we show that low-cost diaphragm materials, such as Zirfon, can serve as robust alternatives to AEMs in alkaline CO electrolysis. We evaluate a range of diaphragms and identify candidates that match or exceed the performance of commercial AEMs across a wide range of operating conditions (50 to 400 mA cm −2 ). At 60 °C, Zirfon-based cells maintain 45% Faradaic efficiencies for acetate over 250 hours, while state-of-the-art AEMs fail within 150 hours. Moreover, a 100 cm 2 Zirfon cell operates stably for 700 hours at 200 mA cm −2 . These findings demonstrate that diaphragms offer a scalable and durable pathway for CO electrolysis, helping reduce system costs and enhance compatibility with renewable energy inputs.