Korean researchers develop catalyst converting CO2 to 2-propanol
In South Korea, a research team has developed a highly efficient catalyst that directly converts carbon dioxide—a major contributor to global warming—into industrially high-value 2-propanol. This research achievement was published online in Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, one of the world’s leading journals in catalysis and environmental science.
Technology that inputs electrical energy into carbon dioxide to convert it into useful chemical substances is a key eco-friendly method for reducing greenhouse gases and recycling them as resources. However, previous techniques were largely limited to producing simple structures like carbon monoxide or methane. Directly synthesizing 2-propanol—a complex alcohol broadly used as a semiconductor cleaning agent and disinfectant—remained a formidable technical challenge.
To overcome this hurdle, the research team precisely regulated the electron flow on the catalyst surface, establishing a novel mechanism featuring bifurcated reaction pathways. As these two reaction pathways operate simultaneously, they guide the carbon atoms within carbon dioxide to bond with high precision, successfully producing 2-propanol with exceptionally high selectivity and yield.
Notably, the newly developed catalyst synthesized 2-propanol with world-record high efficiency under ambient room temperature and pressure (ambient conditions), eliminating the need for specialized high-pressure equipment. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated superior durability, maintaining stable performance during 48 hours of continuous operation without degradation.
Category: Research
