Renewable cycle for CO2 decomposing by liquid metals at ambient conditions

Abstract

The decomposition of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a potential negative carbon technology, and an effective way to achieve carbon recycling by converting CO2 into high value-added chemicals. However, the CO2 conversion usually requires harsh conditions, complex processes, and high energy consumption, which seriously limit its application and development. Here, we reported a new strategy for direct decomposition and utilization of CO2 under mild conditions based on liquid metals, in which the CO2 was transformed into carbon, corresponding efficiency is approximately 1.125 ml/(g·h). While the oxygen reacted with liquid metals to form Ga2O3. Furthermore, the oxide by-products can be reduced to the liquid metals using the hydrogen at 800 °C for 10.0 h, which generated from water splitting by solar-driven, whereas 34.33% of liquid metals restore their original properties and can be utilized for further recycling. This provided a novel approach to the decomposition and renewable recycling of CO2.