{"id":639,"date":"2025-04-01T09:43:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T07:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/?post_type=project&#038;p=639"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:47:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:47:31","slug":"bees-4-co2rr","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/project\/bees-4-co2rr\/","title":{"rendered":"BEES-4-CO2RR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Electrocatalytic CO\u2082 reduction (CO\u2082RR) is considered one of the most promising approaches for utilizing CO\u2082 as a valuable raw material in the energy transition. In combination with renewable energies, it enables the conversion of captured CO\u2082 into climate-friendly energy carriers and basic chemicals. The BEES-4-CO\u2082RR project \u2013 Bioinspired Electrodes for Efficient and Scalable Electrocatalytic CO\u2082 Reduction to High Added-Value Products \u2013 is developing highly efficient, sustainable, and industrially scalable catalyst electrodes for this purpose. These are integrated into a scalable flow reactor to efficiently convert CO\u2082 into methane (CH\u2084) and other hydrocarbons.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the heart of the project is a nature-inspired electrode concept on gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) that combines porous, sputtered Cu and Cu-Zn catalysts with bioinspired, polyionic liquid structures. These are precisely applied and structured using Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL). The resulting CO\u2082 electrodes combine key functions such as optimal wetting, improved catalysis, prevention of electrode flooding, and high conductivity. BEES-4-CO\u2082RR thus addresses key challenges in CO\u2082RR and bridges the gap between fundamental research and application-oriented, scalable technology for the energy and chemical industries.   <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Project objectives and technical innovation<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal of BEES-4-CO\u2082RR is to develop bio-inspired, multifunctional electrodes for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO\u2082 to CH\u2084 and other hydrocarbons with high efficiency, stability, and scalability. In the final system, a Faradaic efficiency of up to 85% for CO\u2082-to-CH\u2084 conversion, a stability of more than 100 hours, and a current density of &gt;100 mA\/cm\u00b2 are to be achieved. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The technically innovative aspect lies in the combination of sputtered Cu and Cu-Zn alloy catalysts with specially designed polyionic liquid layers structured using NIL. The bio-inspired micro- and nanostructuring creates (super)hydrophilic and (super)aerophobic surfaces for ideal wetting and rapid gas removal. Selective Cu-Zn catalysts and imidazolium-functionalized polymers activate dissolved CO\u2082 at the three-phase boundary, thereby increasing CO\u2082 utilization. Hydrophobic, non-fluorinated polymer films prevent electrode flooding, while embedded copper species and copper islands within the polymer enhance electrical conductivity and selectivity. All process steps \u2013 sputtering, NIL, and flow reactor design \u2013 are specifically designed for industrial upscalability.    <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Efficient CO\u2082 utilization: benefits for the energy transition, industry, and research<\/h3>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For the energy transition: The electrochemical conversion of CO\u2082 into methane and other hydrocarbons creates a sustainable power-to-gas and power-to-X solution and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For the energy and chemical industries: Scalable, long-lasting CO\u2082RR electrodes lower process costs, enable decentralized production of energy carriers and high-value chemicals, and reduce dependence on fossil resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For research and technology development: The project sets new standards in the design of bio-inspired gas diffusion electrodes, the use of non-critical raw materials, and NIL-based microstructuring.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For the region: With AIT, Luxinergy, and PROFACTOR, BEES-4-CO\u2082RR strengthens Austrian and European innovation in the field of CO\u2082 utilization and green medical technology \u2013 thereby creating export and cooperation opportunities in a dynamically growing market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":638,"template":"","categories":[69,49],"class_list":["post-639","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-micro-and-nano-structuring","category-sustainability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}