Development of Novel Aerogel-Copper Composite Electrodes for Enhanced Electrochemically Mediated Amine Regeneration (EMAR) Based CO₂ Capture Using Photocatalysis

Abstract

Electrochemically Mediated Amine Regeneration (EMAR) is an alternative to thermal amine scrubbing because solvent regeneration is driven by electricity rather than heat. In EMAR, CO₂ absorbed by an amine solvent is released by electrochemically generated Cu²⁺ ions that compete with the amine for CO₂, enabling regeneration without heat input. However, practical systems remain limited by charge-transfer resistance and mass-transport constraints. This work investigates TiO₂ aerogel–modified copper foam electrodes for photo-assisted EMAR operation. TiO₂ aerogel powder was deposited on copper foam using APTES-assisted dip coating. Material structure and surface chemistry were characterized using SEM, XRD, XPS, BET, and μCT. Electrochemical performance was evaluated under dark and UV conditions. The three-cycle coated electrode (TCF3) showed lower regeneration energy and higher Faradaic efficiency than copper plate and bare copper foam electrodes. UV illumination enhanced electrochemical activity at lower current densities, demonstrating improved EMAR electrode performance.