The disclosure relates to methods for electrochemical reductive carboxylation of an unsaturated organic substrate to form a dicarboxylic organic product. The unsaturated organic substrate is electrochemically reduced with a carbon dioxide reactant in an ionically conductive, water-immiscible reactant medium to form the dicarboxylic organic product. The dicarboxylic organic product is recovered in an aqueous product medium. Example dicarboxylic organic products include phthalic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, pyrrole-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, adipic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid, and 1,12-dodecanedioic acid.

Disclosed are cathodes comprising a conductive support substrate having a catalyst coating containing nickel phosphide nanoparticles. The conductive support substrate is capable of incorporating a material to be reduced, such as CO.sub.2 or CO. Also disclosed are electrochemical methods for generating hydrocarbon and/or carbohydrate products from CO.sub.2 or CO using water as a source of hydrogen.

Multifunctional core@shell nanoparticles (CSNs) useful in electrochemical cells, particularly for use as an electrocatalyst material. The multifunctional CSNs comprise a catalytic core component encompassed by one or more outer shells. Also included are electrochemical cell electrodes and electrochemical cells that electrochemically convert carbon dioxide to, for example, useful fuels (e.g., synthetic fuels) or other products, and which comprise multifunctional CSNs, and methods for making the same.

A method for generating hydrocarbons using a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) and a Fischer-Tropsch unit in a single microtubular reactor is described. This method can directly synthesize hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide and water. The method integrates high temperature co-electrolysis of H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 and low temperature Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process in a single microtubular reactor by designation of a temperature gradient along the axial length of the microtubular reactor. In practice, methods disclosed herein can provide direct conversion of CO.sub.2 to hydrocarbons for use as feedstock or energy storage.

Devices for electrochemically activating precursor compound through oxidation (or reduction) to produce active compound are provided. Devices may include an electrochemical reactor having an electrochemical cell including an anode and a cathode housed in a shared compartment, or an anode housed in an anode compartment, a cathode housed in a cathode compartment, and a semipermeable membrane separating the anode and cathode compartments, wherein the anode and cathode form an electrical circuit in the presence of electrolyte solution; and a sealed housing enclosing the electrochemical cell, the housing including a precursor compound input in communication with the anode/cathode/shared compartment, for inputting precursor compound, an active compound output in communication with the anode/cathode/shared compartment for outputting activated compound following activation, and a gas release and/or liquid overflow port; a power supply powering the electrochemical reactor; and, optionally, a pump or valve controlling flow rate of the assembly.

Described herein is a process for the reduction of carbon dioxide comprising: providing an electrochemical device comprising an anode, a cathode, and a polymeric anion exchange membrane therebetween, wherein the polymeric anion exchange membrane comprises an anion exchange polymer, wherein the anion exchange polymer comprises at least one positively charged group selected from a guanidinium, a guanidinium derivative, an N-alkyl conjugated heterocyclic cation, or combinations thereof; introducing a composition comprising carbon dioxide to the cathode; and applying electrical energy to the electrochemical device to effect electrochemical reduction of the carbon dioxide.

Various embodiments include a CO2 electrolyzer comprising: a gas space adjoining a cathode comprising a gas diffusion electrode adjoining a cathode space; an anode in an anode space; a membrane separating the cathode space from the anode space; a feed apparatus feeding reactant gas into the gas space; a mixing vessel for at least partial joint accommodation of the anolyte and the catholyte; and a connection line between the gas separating region and the gas space. The mixing vessel includes a gas separating region closed off with respect to a surrounding atmosphere. The cathode space accommodates a catholyte and the anode space accommodates an anolyte.

Graphene oxide (GO) is an emerging material for energy, environmental, and many other applications which in the past has been produced using chemical processes involving high-energy consumption and hazardous chemicals. Embodiments of the present invention focus on bioelectrochemical systems (BES) having microorganism(s), an anode (11) and cathode (14) to produce GO (13) from graphite, coal, and other carbonaceous materials under ambient conditions without chemical amendments. In some embodiments, value-added organic compounds (17) and even H.sub.2 (16) can be produced.

A platform technology that uses a novel membrane electrode assembly including a cathode layer comprising a reduction catalyst and a first anion-and-cation-conducting polymer, an anode layer comprising an oxidation catalyst and a cation-conducting polymer, a membrane layer comprising a cation-conducting polymer, the membrane layer arranged between the cathode layer and the anode layer and conductively connecting the cathode layer and the anode layer, in a CO.sub.x reduction reactor has been developed. The reactor can be used to synthesize a broad range of carbon-based compounds from carbon dioxide.

An abrupt interface electroreduction catalyst includes a porous gas diffusion layer and a catalyst layer providing a sharp reaction interface. The electroreduction catalyst can be used for converting CO.sub.2 into a target product such as ethylene. The porous gas diffusion layer can be hydrophobic and configured for contacting gas-phase CO.sub.2 while the catalyst layer is disposed on and covers a reaction interface side of the porous gas diffusion layer. The catalyst layer has another side contacting an electrolyte and can be hydrophilic, composed a metal such as Cu and is sufficiently thin to prevent diffusion limitations of the reactant in the electrolyte and enhance selectivity for the target product. The electroreduction catalyst can be made by vapor deposition methods and can be used for electrochemical production of ethylene in reaction system.