The present invention discloses a membrane-less reactor design for microbial electrosynthesis of alcohols from carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2). The membrane-less reactor design thus facilitates higher and efficient CO.sub.2 transformation to alcohols via single pot microbial electrosynthesis. The reactor design operates efficiently avoiding oxygen contact at working electrode without using membrane, in turn there is an increase in CO.sub.2 solubility and its bioavailability for subsequent CO.sub.2 conversion to alcohols at faster rate. The present invention further provides a process of operation of the reactor for biotransformation of the carbon dioxide.

A supported catalyst for reducing CO.sub.2 is provided. The supported catalyst includes a plurality of support particles; and a plurality of catalyst particles disposed over each support particle. Characteristically, the catalyst particles has formula PdH.sub.x/C wherein x is 0.3 to 0.7. Methods for making the support particles and using the support particles to reduce carbon dioxide are also provided.

An electrode, having a catalytic coating containing ruthenium and at least one other element selected from the group of alkaline earth metals, suitable to be used in industrial electrochemical processes for hydrogen evolution and to a method for the production of the same. The catalytic coating has 93-99 wt-% of ruthenium and 1-7 wt-% of alkaline earth metals, referred to the metals.

A CoVO.sub.x composite electrode and method of making is described. The composite electrode comprises a substrate with an average 0.5-5 μm thick layer of CoVO.sub.x having pores with average diameters of 2-200 nm. The method of making the composite electrode involves contacting the substrate with an aerosol comprising a solvent, a cobalt complex, and a vanadium complex. The CoVO.sub.x composite electrode is capable of being used in an electrochemical cell for water oxidation.

A CoVO.sub.x composite electrode and method of making is described. The composite electrode comprises a substrate with an average 0.5-5 μm thick layer of CoVO.sub.x having pores with average diameters of 2-200 nm. The method of making the composite electrode involves contacting the substrate with an aerosol comprising a solvent, a cobalt complex, and a vanadium complex. The CoVO.sub.x composite electrode is capable of being used in an electrochemical cell for water oxidation.

An electrode catalyst for a water electrolysis cell includes a catalyst and a polymer of intrinsic microporosity, and the polymer of intrinsic microporosity is neutral.

A method of treating a ceramic body in a glass making process includes delivering a molten glass to a heated ceramic body, the ceramic body including a ceramic phase and an intergranular glass phase, the molten glass being in contact with a surface of the ceramic body. The method further includes contacting the ceramic body with a first electrode and contacting the molten glass with a second electrode. The method further includes applying an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode to create an electric potential difference across the ceramic body between the first and second electrodes, the electric potential difference being less than an electrolysis threshold of the ceramic phase and the intergranular glass phase. The intergranular glass phase demixes under driven diffusion in the applied electric field and mobile cations in the intergranular glass phase enrich proximate one of the first and second electrode.

The present invention provides a method for making materials and electrocatalytic materials comprising amorphous metals or metal oxides. This method provides a scalable preparative approach for accessing state-of-the-art electrocatalyst films, as demonstrated herein for the electrolysis of water, and extends the scope of usable substrates to include those that are non-conducting and/or three-dimensional electrodes.

A method can include incorporating graphene oxide (GO) in a solution, reducing the graphene oxide (GO) by refluxing carbon nitride (C.sub.3N.sub.4) in the solution to form carbon-nitride refluxed-graphene-oxide (C.sub.3N.sub.4-rGO) composites, and incorporating ruthenium ions into the C.sub.3N.sub.4-rGO composites to form C.sub.3N.sub.4-rGO-Ru complexes.

A method can include incorporating graphene oxide (GO) in a solution, reducing the graphene oxide (GO) by refluxing carbon nitride (C.sub.3N.sub.4) in the solution to form carbon-nitride refluxed-graphene-oxide (C.sub.3N.sub.4-rGO) composites, and incorporating ruthenium ions into the C.sub.3N.sub.4-rGO composites to form C.sub.3N.sub.4-rGO-Ru complexes.