Bismuth Iron Oxide Catalysts for Efficient CO₂ Electroreduction to Formate

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2RR) is crucial for carbon cycle management.
• Bismuth-based catalysts offer potential for CO2 conversion to formic acid/formate.
• Developing efficient and stable catalysts is key for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-performance bismuth-based catalyst for CO2RR.
• To investigate the electrocatalytic properties of a BiFeO3/Bi25FeO40 precatalyst.
• To understand the synergistic effects in the catalyst for enhanced performance.

Main Methods:

• Electrochemical characterization in a flow cell setup.
• In situ electrochemical reconstruction of the precatalyst.
• Performance evaluation at various potentials (vs RHE).

Main Results:

• Achieved a formate partial current density of 359.8 mA cm-2 at -0.75 V vs RHE.
• Reported a formate formation rate of 6.71 mmol h-1 cm-2.
• Demonstrated stable formate production for 88 hours at -0.64 V vs RHE.

Conclusions:

• The BiFeO3/Bi25FeO40 precatalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability for CO2RR to formate.
• Synergistic effects between single Bi atoms and BiFe nanoparticles contribute to the high performance.
• This study provides insights for designing advanced Bi-based catalysts for CO2 conversion.