Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Gas-Proton Microenvironment Modulation for Enhanced CO2-to-Formate Electroreduction
1Center for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies (CREST), KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia.
None:
Precise control of interfacial water structure is essential for suppressing side reactions and enabling selective CO2 electroreduction at industrial current densities. Here, we synthesize a series of bismuth-based catalysts with spatially encoded superhydrophilic-superhydrophobic nanodomains by partially embedding polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) into Bi nanoparticles. This strategy creates interfacial polarity patterns that stabilize *OCHO intermediates while suppressing hydrogen and CO evolution. Compared to the PVDF-free control, the optimized Bi-PVDF catalyst exhibits significantly enhanced formate partial current density, Faradaic efficiency (FE), and long-term stability. It achieves > 90% FE at -200 mA cm-2 for 50 h and maintains high selectivity up to -700 mA cm-2. Operando spectroscopy and multiscale simulations reveal that the dual-wettability interface modulates local hydration and charge distribution, promoting selective intermediate formation while kinetically suppressing side pathways. By addressing the longstanding challenge of coupled gas-proton transport, this work offers a mechanism-driven and scalable strategy to construct interfacial microenvironments for high-rate, selective CO2 electroreduction.
Related Concept Videos
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Molecules
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
Batteries and Fuel Cells
Pyruvate Oxidation
First, the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase removes the carboxyl group from pyruvate and releases it as carbon dioxide. The stripped molecule is then oxidized and releases electrons, which are then picked up by NAD+...
Regioselective Formation of Enolates

