Inside-mode indium oxide/carbon nanotubes for efficient carbon dioxide electroreduction by suppressing hydrogen...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a major obstacle in electrochemical CO2 reduction.
• Efficiently converting CO2 to valuable products like formic acid requires selective catalysts.
• Indium oxide (In2O3) shows promise but faces challenges in HER suppression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an advanced catalyst for CO2 electroreduction.
• To enhance formic acid selectivity by suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction.
• To improve upon the catalytic performance of bare indium oxide.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of an inside-mode indium oxide/carbon nanotube compound (MWCNTs@In2O3).
• Electrochemical testing of the synthesized material for CO2 reduction.
• Performance evaluation focusing on Faradaic efficiency and current density.

Main Results:

• The MWCNTs@In2O3 compound demonstrated significantly suppressed hydrogen evolution.
• Achieved a high HCOOH selectivity of up to 92.2% at -16.8 mA cm-2.
• The developed composite catalyst outperformed bare In2O3 in efficiency and selectivity.

Conclusions:

• The MWCNTs@In2O3 composite is a highly effective catalyst for CO2 electroreduction to formic acid.
• Integrating In2O3 with carbon nanotubes enhances catalytic performance and HER suppression.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for efficient CO2 conversion technologies.