Gold's use in climate-focused research: advances at Canada’s National Research Council

Key Concepts

• Accelerated Materials Discovery and Process Optimisation: A research approach combining AI, machine learning, laboratory automation, and domain knowledge to efficiently discover and optimize materials and processes.
• Decarbonization: The process of reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.
• CO₂ Electrolyzer: A device that uses electricity to convert carbon dioxide into other chemicals or fuels.
• Gold Catalysts: Gold in nanoparticle form used to facilitate chemical reactions, specifically the conversion of CO₂.
• Self-Driving Laboratory: An automated platform integrating AI, robotics, and chemistry to conduct research autonomously.
• Electrocatalysis: The use of catalysts in electrochemical reactions.
• Life Cycle and Techno-economic Assessment: Methods to evaluate the environmental and economic viability of a process or technology.

National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Mississauga Facility: Advancing Climate Solutions

The World Gold Council (WGC) acknowledges the critical need for innovative technological solutions to address environmental challenges, with climate change being a top priority. These solutions must be robust, accessible, and commercially viable. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is actively contributing to this effort through its research at its new facility in Mississauga, Ontario. The NRC's work focuses on advancing science and R&D, with a particular emphasis on climate-focused solutions.

Research Focus: Decarbonization and Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction

Robert Black, Research Officer and Team Lead in Accelerated Materials Discovery and Process Optimisation at NRC Mississauga, explained that the facility integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, laboratory automation, and domain knowledge. This multidisciplinary approach aims to enhance the efficiency of scientific research towards specific objectives. The primary goal of their research is decarbonization and the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Electrochemical Processes for CO₂ Reduction

Parisa Karimi, a Research Officer at NRC working on electrochemical processes, highlighted the project's objective: to reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels to mitigate or reverse the impacts of global warming. The project employs a triple approach to accelerated materials discovery:

1. Gold Catalysts at the Material Scale: This initial phase focuses on accelerating the investigation of gold as a material for catalysis, particularly in nanoparticle form.
2. Optimization at the Device Level: The second stage involves scaling up the discovered materials to an electrolyzer device. This entails optimizing the performance of the gold material within the electrolyzer.
3. Life Cycle and Techno-economic Assessment: The final step assesses the impact of the gold material from material to device. This includes conducting life cycle and techno-economic assessments to quantify the commercial viability of using gold as an efficient catalyst for CO₂ electrolyzers.

The Role of Gold as a Catalyst

Gold, in its nanoparticle form, is identified as an excellent catalyst for converting carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and fuels. Key advantages of gold as a catalyst include:

• Stability: Gold is highly stable in aqueous (watery) environments, meaning it does not corrode or wash away over time, making it a durable candidate for catalytic applications.
• Versatility: Gold can exist in various shapes and sizes (e.g., nanoparticles, spheres, needles, rods) and can be alloyed or doped with other materials. This versatility allows for tailoring its properties to achieve specific catalytic functions for CO₂ conversion.

Challenges and Solutions in Electrocatalyst Integration

Kenneth Chu, a Technical Officer on the materials for Electrocatalysis team, discussed the challenges associated with incorporating gold electrocatalysts into devices. Numerous parameters, such as temperature, pressure, and flow rate, can significantly influence device performance. Manually fine-tuning these parameters is a complex and time-consuming process.

To overcome these challenges, the NRC is leveraging its self-driving labs. These platforms, working in parallel with manual experimentation, are designed to accelerate the research and development of gold as an electrocatalytic material. This acceleration is crucial for building next-generation devices with high performance and stability.

The Self-Driving Laboratory: Autonomous Research

Alex Whittingham, a Research Officer in the Accelerated Materials Discovery team, described the self-driving laboratory as a platform that integrates AI, robotics, and chemistry to conduct research autonomously. This platform is where the electrolysis process takes place. It involves transferring prepared samples to the electrolysis platform for analysis.

The system monitors the gases released from the electrocatalyst in real-time. For instance, it can quantify the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) produced from the headspace of the electrolyzer using specific instruments.

The overarching purpose of Accelerated Materials Discovery is to identify exceptional materials using the fewest possible experiments. This approach is expected to significantly expedite the efforts to combat climate change. The work at NRC Mississauga is not confined to a single project but aims to establish a foundational framework for accelerating experimental procedures and ushering in a new paradigm in scientific research.

Collaboration and Impact

The World Gold Council expresses pride in supporting these advancements and recognizes the value of collaborating with centers of research excellence like the NRC. Such collaborations are essential for maximizing the impact of new technologies to benefit both the planet and its inhabitants.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The NRC Mississauga facility is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions for climate change, particularly through the accelerated discovery and optimization of gold-based catalysts for CO₂ electrolysis. By integrating AI, robotics, and advanced laboratory automation within self-driving laboratories, they are significantly increasing the efficiency of scientific research. This approach aims to overcome the challenges of material development and device optimization, ultimately contributing to decarbonization efforts and the creation of more sustainable technologies. The WGC's support underscores the importance of collaborative research in addressing global environmental priorities.