Renewable energy sources like photovoltaic panels and wind turbines generate fluctuating power, requiring stabilization through fossil fuels or alternative storage solutions. Recently, hydrogen has emerged as a promising energy carrier to store surplus electricity and balance the power grid. However, the long-term use of fossil fuels has generated large quantities of CO2, enforcing the need for large-scale atmospheric purification and CO2 valorization methods.Among various hydrogen production methods, water electrolysis stands out as a potentially green approach. However, state-of-the-art electrolyzers rely on scarce and environmentally costly noble metals, such as platinum, iridium, and ruthenium, which exhibit high global warming potentials and limited earth abundance.As an alternative, copper, with an earth abundance of ~50 ppm and high recyclability (35% from scraps), offers a lower environmental footprint, emitting only 2.8 kg CO2-eq per kg produced. Additionally, it has demonstrated catalytic efficiency in hydrogen evolution reactions and CO2 valorization. Structurally, the most efficient electrodes for water electrolysis are highly porous 3D materials that maximize surface area and mass transfer. In this work, we developed a biocomposite that integrates a porous wood-derived scaffold, primarily composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. A top-down processing approach enabled the formation of wood aerogels with up to 95% porosity and specific surface areas reaching 280 m²/g. Using an electroless deposition method, we homogeneously coated this scaffold with an electroactive copper layer.The resulting material exhibited high conductivity and catalytic activity. Its structure and composition were characterized through Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Finally, its performance in hydrogen production and CO2 transformation was quantified using advanced electrochemical methods.
WWSC is a joint research center between KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and Linköping University. The base is a donation from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The Swedish industry is supporting WWSC via the platform Treesearch.
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Email: conference2025@wwsc.se