Persistent CO2 reduction performance of an Ag nanoparticle gas diffusion electrode in realistic dynamic PV-driven operation

Sunlight isn’t steady. CO₂ reduction catalysts must be.

Solar-driven carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction represents an elegant approach to closing the carbon cycle, with the potential to store intermittent solar energy as chemical fuels. Most CO₂ reduction studies are carried out under steady lab conditions, but solar panels don’t really work that way. Their power output goes up and down with the sun, which mean that catalysts for CO2 electrochemical reduction must tolerate fluctuations.

In our new paper, we show that a silver gas diffusion electrode can meet this challenge. When directly coupled to a hardware-emulated silicon PV module operating under realistic day/night conditions, it maintained stable CO production with 96% energy coupling efficiency and up to 8.8% solar-to-chemical efficiency.

This is the first demonstration of robust, scalable CO2 reduction under dynamic solar conditions, bringing solar-driven fuel production closer to real-world application.

Further informations can be found here