Lee Kang-taek, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and his research team announced on the 1st that they succeeded in developing a new ceramic NANO composite fiber, achieving the highest performance in carbon dioxide decomposition with a ceramic electrolyzer. The results of this research will be published on the 3rd in the international academic journal 'Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.'
Ceramic electrolyzers are conversion technologies that can transform carbon dioxide into useful chemicals. They are drawing attention as key technologies for achieving carbon neutrality because they emit less greenhouse gas and have higher energy efficiency compared to conventional electrolyzers. However, their operational temperature, which exceeds 800 degrees Celsius, has limited commercialization in terms of device stability and maintenance expenses.
In response, the research team combined an 'superionic conductor' material with the existing ceramic electrode to develop a 'composite NANO fiber electrode.' This electrode is designed to facilitate more active electrochemical reactions, allowing the ceramic electrolyzer to operate effectively at much lower temperatures than before.
The research team utilized this composite material to reduce the thickness of the electrode by about 45% compared to previous designs, producing it at a thickness of 100 nanometers (㎚, 1㎚ is one billionth of a meter), which is 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. This ultra-fine NANO fiber maximizes the area for electrochemical reactions, significantly enhancing the reaction efficiency of the electrode. As a result, they successfully lowered the operational temperature of the ceramic electrolyzer while improving carbon dioxide decomposition performance by about 50%.
Additionally, the ceramic electrolyzer with the composite NANO fiber recorded the highest carbon dioxide decomposition performance among the devices reported to date. Furthermore, it maintained stable voltage even after over 300 hours of continuous operation, demonstrating its durability.
Professor Lee Kang-taek noted, "The fabrication and design techniques of the NANO fiber electrode proposed in this research will become leading technologies in the development of various next-generation energy conversion devices, not only for carbon dioxide reduction but also for green hydrogen and eco-friendly power generation."
References
Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy (2025), DOI : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.125222