Cathode for reduction of carbon dioxide and method for manufacturing such a cathode

The invention relates to a cathode based on a transition metal (M) for reduction of carbon dioxide into formate in a hydro-organic or purely aqueous medium, particularly for air decarbonation applications for industry and in general for atmospheric pollution control and regeneration of breathable air in a confined or unconfined environment, characterized by including a transition metal molecular complex formed of: a bidentate ligand functional by identical or different electroattractive groups A and A', the ligand comprising a basic molecular group allowing the reduction redox potential of the complex to be reduced in a range of -1.40 to +0.80 V relative to an Ag/Ag+ reference electrode, at least one of the groups A or A' being electropolymerizable; two identical or different labile groups Y and Y' with trans stereochemistry taken from the following series: halide anion (Cl-, Br-, I-), acetate anion (CH3COO-), neutral acetonitrile or dimethylformamide or dimethylsulfoxide molecule; two identical or different stabilizing ligands Z and Z' with cis stereochemistry, representing a donor and attractor group of the carbonyl (-CO) or phosphine type (PR3 with R=alkyl, aryl, pyridine); the complex having the structure of Formula (I).