As part of the efforts to address global climate change, the identification of methods for the capture of carbon dioxide and its selective electrochemical conversion into value-added carbonaceous materials in molten salt electrolytes is a research topic of scientific and technological significance.
Various carbon materials, including carbon nanotubes and amorphous carbon, were successfully deposited on the nickel and copper cathodes during the electrolysis in the molten CaCl 2 -LiCl at 3.0 V and 600 • C. CaO serving as trapping agent of CO 2 was added before the electrolysis. Electrode reactions were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry in a three-electrode cell. The results show that the electro-reduction of carbonate ions is dominated by carbon deposition on Ni electrode accompanied with partial evolution of CO, while, on the contrary, the generation of CO is more preferable than carbon deposition on Cu electrode. Electro-reduction of solid carbon were carried out in two-electrode cell and short-time electrolysis were applied to study the formation and growth of the varied carbon microstructure. The formation of carbon nanotubes may be attributed to the evolution of CO. With a SnO 2 anode, O 2 gas was produced during the electrolysis.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a filler possess better physicochemical properties and exhibit promising applications. A convenient method to prepare CNTs filled with boron is proposed by the electrochemical conversion of CO 2 in CaCl 2 -CaCO 3 -B 2 O 3 molten salt. Amorphous B-filling CNTs with the diameter of 10-20 nm was obtained on the nickel cathode at a potential of −1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The electroreduction process of C and B is analyzed. The formation mechanism of B-filling CNTs is discussed. Compared with other methods, the proposed approach is more convenient and environment-friendly.
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