Electrochemical CO2 reduction with silver nanoclusters

This thesis deals with electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions, which is one of the main causes of climate change. The objective of the research is to develop innovative catalyst materials to increase CO2 reduction efficiency. Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction is a method that has the potential to convert gaseous carbon dioxide into valuable chemical products with the help of electrical energy. However, this process often encounters problems such as low product selectivity, high energy costs and limited efficiency of catalysts. In order to overcome these problems, innovative catalyst materials based on metal and carbon were investigated in the study; their efficiency was analyzed by various characterization methods. Within the scope of the thesis, a heterogeneous catalysis system containing silver nanoclusters was designed for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 and the silver nanoclusters synthesized in aqueous medium were immobilized on the electrode material and then the electrocatalytic activity was investigated under heterogeneous conditions by cyclic voltammetry. As a result, it was observed that Ag nanoclusters showed high catalytic activity for the reduction of CO2.