Catalysis: Role and Challenges for a Sustainable Energy

After introducing the role of catalysis as pillar of chemical industry to reach the sustainability of the society, the contribution discusses catalysis for energy as one of the critical areas of development to respond to societal needs and which further demonstrate the link between catalysis, innovation and sustainability. In particular, some aspects of development of catalysts for the photo- and electro-driven conversion of carbon dioxide and water are analyzed. In PEM fuel cells, advanced anode electrocatalysts with improved performances and reduced sensitivity to poisoning by CO could be developed by proper understanding of the role of nanostructure, three phase boundary and metal particle-carbon substrate interaction. It is shown also that similar materials could be used for addressing the societal challenge of converting back CO₂ to fuels. New results on the electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to liquid fuels (isopropanol, in particular) are reported and it is evidenced how in perspective, by combining these electrodes to a nanostructured titania photoanode, it is possible to realize photoelectrocatalytic devices which have the potential to capture CO₂ and convert it to liquid fuels (long-chain alcohols and hydrocarbons) using solar energy and water in “artificial energy trees”.