Bi₂O₃/BiO₂ Nanoheterojunction for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction to Formate

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Heterostructure engineering is crucial for optimizing electron transport in catalysis.
• Advanced catalysts are needed for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECO2RR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel Bi2O3/BiO2 heterojunction catalyst.
• To investigate the structural dynamics and catalytic performance for ECO2RR.

Main Methods:

• Molten alkali-assisted dealumination strategy for catalyst synthesis.
• In situ X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy for structural analysis.
• Electrochemical testing for ECO2RR performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• The Bi2O3/BiO2 heterostructure transforms into a Bi/BiO2 Mott-Schottky heterostructure.
• Enhanced adsorption of CO2 and *OCHO intermediates.
• Achieved >95% selectivity for formate with a partial current density of -111.42 mA cm-2.

Conclusions:

• The novel Bi/BiO2 Mott-Schottky heterostructure demonstrates superior performance for ECO2RR.
• Structural dynamics are key to catalyst efficiency.
• Provides a pathway for designing advanced heterojunction electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.