Forgotten research leads to nickel catalyst that turns CO₂ into longer hydrocarbons

An unexpected, simple catalyst might help in the quest to make hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide, rather than refining oil. The nickel-based system was developed by an international team of chemists from the National University of Singapore, ETH Zurich and Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, Tarragona, Spain.

Electrocatalysts made from abundant, non-toxic metals that can convert carbon dioxide to hydrocarbons are of huge interest in a shift away from a fossil-fuel economy. Copper has been the favoured metal to date, but doesn’t come without problems. Making molecules longer than three carbon atoms long has proven difficult, and copper ions are extremely mobile and electrocatalytic cells can often end up with copper ions leaching into the electrolyte, which degrades the cell.