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Phase Interface Regulating on Amorphous/Crystalline Bismuth Catalyst for Boosted Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to
Chenchen Qin1, Li Xu1, Jian Zhang1
1Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui Graphene Materials Research Center, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China.
Researchers developed a novel bismuth heterophase catalyst with amorphous/crystalline interfaces for efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction. This advanced catalyst demonstrates high selectivity and current density for formate production, offering a promising solution for CO2 conversion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable fuels is crucial for addressing energy and environmental challenges.
- Developing efficient and stable electrocatalysts is key to advancing CO2 electroreduction technologies.
- Bismuth (Bi)-based materials are explored for CO2 electroreduction due to their potential selectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate a novel bismuth heterophase electrode with amorphous/crystalline interfaces for enhanced CO2 electroreduction.
- To investigate the performance of this new catalyst in converting CO2 to formate.
- To understand the underlying mechanism of the enhanced catalytic activity.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a bismuth (Bi) heterophase electrode using in situ transformation of Bi-tannic acid (Bi-TA) complexes.
- Electrochemical characterization in a liquid-phase H-type cell and a flow cell.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to analyze reaction mechanisms and adsorption properties.
Main Results:
- The amorphous/crystalline Bi heterophase electrode exhibited significantly enhanced performance compared to amorphous or crystalline Bi catalysts.
- High selectivity towards formate production with Faraday efficiency (FE) over 90% in a wide potential range (-0.8 to -1.3 V).
- Achieved a large current density of 600 mA cm⁻² for formate production in a flow cell.
Conclusions:
- The amorphous/crystalline Bi heterophase interface effectively promotes CO2 adsorption and lowers energy barriers for the rate-determining step.
- This catalyst design offers a promising strategy for developing highly efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.
- The findings pave the way for advanced heterointerface catalyst design for sustainable CO2 conversion.
