Nanostructured transition metal dichalcogenide electrocatalysts for CO 2 reduction in ionic liquid

Small and salty CO 2 reduction scheme Most artificial photosynthesis approaches focus on making hydrogen. Modifying CO 2 , as plants and microbes do, is more chemically complex. Asadi et al. report that fashioning WSe 2 and related electrochemical catalysts into nanometer-scale flakes greatly improves their activity for the reduction of CO 2 to CO. An ionic liquid reaction medium further enhances efficiency. An artificial leaf with WSe 2 reduced CO 2 on one side while a cobalt catalyst oxidized water on the other side. Science , this issue p. 467