Source abstract
Abstract
Direct conversion of methane to methanol has been a long-sought objective. Partial oxidation by thermal catalysis is possible but suffers from a rapid loss in methanol selectivity with increasing methane conversion. More recently, the electrochemical oxidation of methane, using water, rather than oxygen, as the oxidizing agent has been considered in both aqueous electrolyte systems and membrane–electrode assemblies (MEAs). While promising results have been demonstrated using MEAs, the absence of key metrics of system performance make it hard to compare and contrast the results of different investigators. This Perspective examines why MEAs are well-suited for the electrochemical oxidation of methane, defines the metrics for assessing MEA performance, and reviews the progress in the field. An analysis of the challenges to finding suitable electrocatalysts is included with the aim of guiding the search for electrocatalysts that would be both active and selective for the conversion of methane to methanol.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Affiliations
Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
Department of Chemistry and John J. McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
Shell International Exploration and Production Inc., 3333 Highway 6 South, Houston, Texas 77082, United States
Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
Funding
Welch Foundation · Division of Graduate Education · Shell New Energy Research and Technology
References (39)
Show source-provided references
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