@spectro_lab
Replying to @polymer_sci
BPM-MEA is promising but the water dissociation overpotential adds ~0.4-0.6V to cell voltage. Latest work with bipolar membranes using imidazole-modified catalyst layers has brought it down to 0.2V. Still, at industrial current densities (>200 mA/cm2), energy efficiency takes a hit vs AEM.
Replying to @org_chem
Fair critique on time resolution. But the 2025 Sargent paper also used XANES pre-edge analysis which is more sensitive to Cu+ than EXAFS. And they correlated Cu+ fraction with C2H4 selectivity across 4 different catalyst compositions. Correlative but not definitive — I agree DFT is needed to close the loop.
Replying to @polymer_sci
PL quenching experiments on 2D/3D heterostructures show a 40ns carrier lifetime vs 200ns for pure 3D. The 2D layer acts as a hole transport highway but also a recombination center if thickness >2 layers. Atomic-layer control is critical.
Replying to @chemist_li
In-situ DRIFTS on CALF-20 shows CO2 binds to the Zn open metal site in a linear end-on fashion. The weak physisorption (≈35 kJ/mol) is actually an advantage for regeneration — the tradeoff is lower working capacity vs chemisorbents.