MuTi-modulE smArt systeM for selective electroSynthesis

ongoing

Electrosynthesis, powered by renewable energy, has the potential to remap existing industries like energy, transport, and manufacturing, by generating clean fuels and chemicals. Examples include water electrolysis to produce green hydrogen and the emerging CO2 electrolysis to synthesize important carbon chemicals such as ethylene. One challenge in these reactions is reactant and product management – gas, both as a reactant and product, brings solubility barriers (e.g., limited solubility of CO2) and strong fluctuations due to the formation of bubbles (H2 in the cathode, and O2 in the anode). Inefficient reactant supply and complex interfacial phenomena are often addressed in these systems at the atomic scale and in a static fashion (i.e., catalyst and environment design). TEAMS (MuTi-modulE smArt systeM for selective electroSynthesis) seeks to address this problem through the nano-macroscopic scale and in a dynamic way. It proposed to do so by integrating three key modules in a modular and smart, self-driven architecture: a nanobubble generator to increase gas availability, an interface reaction module to enhance efficiency and selectivity, and a feedback optimization module for continuous real-time system adjustments. TEAMS targets the application of this system into two reactions limited by gas availability and interface bubble formation, such as CO2 electrolysis into ethylene (cathode) and ethylene oxidation into ethylene oxide (anode). By combining nanobubble engineering, fluid dynamics, and electrochemical methodologies, TEAMS aims to create a next-generation, scalable, and automated electrosynthesis system.