Copper‐Bismuth Bimetallic Microspheres for Selective Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Formate

Electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction holds great promise for reducing the atmospheric CO₂ level and alleviating the energy crisis. High‐performance electrocatalysts are often required in order to lower the high overpotential and expedite the sluggish reaction kinetics of CO₂ electroreduction. Copper is a promising candidate metal. However, it usually suffers from the issues of poor stability and low product selectivity. In this work, bimetallic Cu‐Bi is obtained by reducing the microspherical copper bismuthate (CuBi₂O₄) for selectively catalyzing the CO₂ reduction to formate (HCOO^–). The bimetallic Cu‐Bi electrocatalyst exhibits high activity and selectivity with the Faradic efficiency over 90% in a wide potential window. A maximum Faradaic efficiency of ~95% is obtained at –0.93 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Furthermore, the catalyst shows high stability over 6 h with Faradaic efficiency of ~95%. This study provides an important clue in designing new functional materials for CO₂ electroreduction with high activity and selectivity.     

Selective electroreduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid on electrodeposited SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>@N-doped porous carbon catalysts

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ is a promising route for energy storage and utilization. Herein we synthesized SnO₂ nanosheets and supported them on N-doped porous carbon (N-PC) by electrodeposition for the first time. The SnO₂ and N-PC in the SnO₂@N-PC composites had exellent synergistic effect for electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to HCOOH. The Faradaic efficiency of HCOOH could be as high as 94.1% with a current density of 28.4 mA cm^?2 in ionic liquid-MeCN system. The reaction mechanism was proposed on the basis of some control experiments. This work opens a new way to prepare composite electrode for electrochemical reduction of CO₂.     

High‐Yield Electrochemical Production of Formaldehyde from CO2 and Seawater

The catalytic, electrocatalytic, or photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into useful chemicals in high yield for industrial applications has so far proven difficult. Herein, we present our work on the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ in seawater using a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrode under ambient conditions to produce formaldehyde. This method overcomes the usual limitation of the low yield of higher‐order products, and also reduces the generation of H₂. In comparison with other electrode materials, BDD electrodes have a wide potential window and high electrochemical stability, and, moreover, exhibit very high Faradaic efficiency (74 %) for the production of formaldehyde, using either methanol, aqueous NaCl, or seawater as the electrolyte. The high Faradaic efficiency is attributed to the sp³‐bonded carbon of the BDD. Our results have wide ranging implications for the efficient and cost‐effective conversion of CO₂.     

Creating a Low‐Potential Redox Polymer for Efficient Electroenzymatic CO2 Reduction

Increasing greenhouse gas emissions have resulted in greater motivation to find novel carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction technologies, where the reduction of CO₂ to valuable chemical commodities is desirable. Molybdenum‐dependent formate dehydrogenase (Mo‐FDH) from Escherichia coli is a metalloenzyme that is able to interconvert formate and CO₂. We describe a low‐potential redox polymer, synthesized by a facile method, that contains cobaltocene (grafted to poly(allylamine), Cc‐PAA) to simultaneously mediate electrons to Mo‐FDH and immobilize Mo‐FDH at the surface of a carbon electrode. The resulting bioelectrode reduces CO₂ to formate with a high Faradaic efficiency of 99±5 % at a mild applied potential of ?0.66 V vs. SHE.     

G‐quadruplex Nanowires To Direct the Efficiency and Selectivity of Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

DNA as a medium for electron transfer has been widely used in photolytic processes but is seldom applied to dark reaction of CO₂ reduction. A G‐quadruplex nanowire (tsGQwire) assembled by guanine tetranucleotides was used to host several metal complexes and further to mediate electron transfer processes in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ catalyzed by these complexes. The tsGQwire modified electrode increased the Faradaic efficiency of cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (Co^IIPc) 2.5‐folds for CO production than bare Co^IIPc electrode, with a total current density of 11.5 mA cm^?2. Comparable Faradaic efficiency of HCOOH production was achieved on tsGQwire electrode when the catalytic center was switched to a GQ targeting Ru complex. The high efficiency and selectivity of electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction was attributed to the unique binding of metal complexes on G‐quadruplex and electron transfer mediated by GQ nanowire to achieve efficient redox cycling of catalytic centers on the electrode.     

Effect of sodium cation on the electrochemical reduction of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> at a copper electrode in methanol

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ with a Cu electrode in methanol was investigated with sodium hydroxide supporting salt. A divided H-type cell was employed; the supporting electrolytes were 80 mmol dm⁻³ sodium hydroxide in methanol (catholyte) and 300 mmol dm⁻³ potassium hydroxide in methanol (anolyte). The main products from CO₂ were methane, ethylene, carbon monoxide, and formic acid. The maximum current efficiency for hydrocarbons (methane and ethylene) was 80.6%, at −4.0 V vs Ag/AgCl, saturated KCl. The ratio of current efficiency for methane/ethylene, r _f(CH₄)/r _f(C₂H₄), was similar to those obtained in LiOH/methanol-based electrolyte and larger relative to those in methanol using KOH, RbOH, and CsOH supporting salts. In NaOH/methanol-based electrolyte, the efficiency of hydrogen formation, a competing reaction of CO₂ reduction, was suppressed to below 4%. The electrochemical CO₂ reduction to methane may be able to proceed efficiently in a hydrophilic environment near the electrode surface provided by sodium cation.     

Bi‐, Y‐Codoped TiO2 for Carbon Dioxide Photocatalytic Reduction to Formic Acid under Visible Light Irradiation

Bi‐ and Y‐codoped TiO₂ photocatalysts were synthesized through a sol‐gel method, and they were applied in the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to formic acid under visible light irradiation. The results revealed that, after doping Bi and Y, the surface area of TiO₂ was increased from 5.4 to 93.1 m²/g when the mole fractions of doping Bi and Y were 1.0% and 0.5%, respectively, and the lattice structures of the photocatalysts changed and the oxygen vacancies on the surface of the photocatalysts formed, which would act as the electron capture centers and slow down the recombination of photo‐induced electron and hole. The photocurrent spectra also proved that the photocatalysts had better electronic transmission capacities. The HCOOH yield in CO₂ photocatalytic reduction was 747.82 μmol/g_cat by using 1% Bi‐0.5% Y‐TiO₂ as a photocatalyst. The HCOOH yield was 1.17 times higher than that by using 1% Bi‐TiO₂, and 2.23 times higher than that by using pure TiO₂. Furthermore, the 1% Bi‐0.5% Y‐TiO₂ showed the highest apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 4.45%.     

Aqueous Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction to CO and Methanol over a Silicon Photocathode Functionalized with a Cobalt Phthalocyanine Molecular Catalyst

We report a precious-metal-free molecular catalyst-based photocathode that is active for aqueous CO₂ reduction to CO and methanol. The photoelectrode is composed of cobalt phthalocyanine molecules anchored on graphene oxide which is integrated via a (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane linker to p-type silicon protected by a thin film of titanium dioxide. The photocathode reduces CO₂ to CO with high selectivity at potentials as mild as 0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (vs RHE). Methanol production is observed at an onset potential of −0.36 V vs RHE, and reaches a peak turnover frequency of 0.18 s⁻¹. To date, this is the only molecular catalyst-based photoelectrode that is active for the six-electron reduction of CO₂ to methanol. This work puts forth a strategy for interfacing molecular catalysts to p-type semiconductors and demonstrates state-of-the-art performance for photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction to CO and methanol.     

Chelating N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands Enable Tuning of Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Formate and Carbon Monoxide: Surface Organometallic Chemistry

Reported here is the chelate effect as a design principle for tuning heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Palladium functionalized with a chelating tris‐N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand (Pd‐timtmb^Me) exhibits a 32‐fold increase in activity for electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to C1 products with high Faradaic efficiency (FE_C1=86 %) compared to the parent unfunctionalized Pd foil (FE=23 %), and with sustained activity relative to a monodentate NHC‐ligated Pd electrode (Pd‐mimtmb^Me). The results highlight the contributions of the chelate effect for tailoring and maintaining reactivity at molecular‐materials interfaces enabled by surface organometallic chemistry.     

Ag@Au Core‐Shell Nanowires for Nearly 100 % CO2‐to‐CO Electroreduction

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to CO is regarded as an efficient method to utilize the greenhouse gas CO₂, because the CO product can be further converted into high value‐added chemicals via the Fisher–Tropsch process. Among all electrocatalysts used for CO₂‐to‐CO reduction, Au‐based catalysts have been demonstrated to possess high selectivity, but their precious price limits their future large‐scale applications. Thus, simultaneously achieving high selectivity and reasonable price is of great importance for the development of Au‐based catalysts. Here, we report Ag@Au core–shell nanowires as electrocatalyst for CO₂ reduction, in which a nanometer‐thick Au film is uniformly deposited on the core Ag nanowire. Importantly, the Ag@Au catalyst with a relative low Au content can drive CO generation with nearly 100 % Faraday efficiency in 0.1 m KCl electrolyte at an overpotential of ca. ?1.0 V. This high selectivity of CO₂ reduction could be attributed to a suitable adsorption strength for the key intermediate on Au film together with the synergistic effects between the Au shell and Ag core and the strong interaction between CO₂ and Cl^? ions in the electrolyte, which may further pave the way for the development of high‐efficiency electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction.     

Selective Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Ethanol on a Boron‐ and Nitrogen‐Co‐doped Nanodiamond

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to ethanol, a clean and renewable liquid fuel with high heating value, is an attractive strategy for global warming mitigation and resource utilization. However, converting CO₂ to ethanol remains great challenge due to the low activity, poor product selectivity and stability of electrocatalysts. Here, the B‐ and N‐co‐doped nanodiamond (BND) was reported as an efficient and stable electrode for selective reduction of CO₂ to ethanol. Good ethanol selectivity was achieved on the BND with high Faradaic efficiency of 93.2 % (−1.0 V vs. RHE), which overcame the limitation of low selectivity for multicarbon or high heating value fuels. Its superior performance was mainly originated from the synergistic effect of B and N co‐doping, high N content and overpotential for hydrogen evolution. The possible pathway for CO₂ reduction revealed by DFT computation was CO₂→*COOH→*CO→*COCO→*COCH₂OH→*CH₂OCH₂OH→CH₃CH₂OH.     

Single Unit Cell Bismuth Tungstate Layers Realizing Robust Solar CO2 Reduction to Methanol

Solar CO₂ reduction into hydrocarbons helps to solve the global warming and energy crisis. However, conventional semiconductors usually suffer from low photoactivity and poor photostability. Here, atomically‐thin oxide‐based semiconductors are proposed as excellent platforms to overcome this drawback. As a prototype, single‐unit‐cell Bi₂WO₆ layers are first synthesized by virtue of a lamellar Bi‐oleate intermediate. The single‐unit‐cell thickness allows 3‐times larger CO₂ adsorption capacity and higher photoabsorption than bulk Bi₂WO₆. Also, the increased conductivity, verified by density functional theory calculations and temperature‐dependent resistivities, favors fast carrier transport. The carrier lifetime increased from 14.7 to 83.2 ns, revealed by time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, which accounts for the improved electron‐hole separation efficacy. As a result, the single‐unit‐cell Bi₂WO₆ layers achieve a methanol formation rate of 75 μmol g^?1 h^?1, 125‐times higher than that of bulk Bi₂WO₆. The catalytic activity of the single‐unit‐cell layers proceeds without deactivation even after 2 days. This work will shed light on designing efficient and robust photoreduction CO₂ catalysts.     

Efficient Reduction of CO2 into Formic Acid on a Lead or Tin Electrode using an Ionic Liquid Catholyte Mixture

Highly efficient electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into value‐added chemicals using cheap and easily prepared electrodes is environmentally and economically compelling. The first work on the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ in ternary electrolytes containing ionic liquid, organic solvent, and H₂O is described. Addition of a small amount of H₂O to an ionic liquid/acetonitrile electrolyte mixture significantly enhanced the efficiency of the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into formic acid (HCOOH) on a Pb or Sn electrode, and the efficiency was extremely high using an ionic liquid/acetonitrile/H₂O ternary mixture. The partial current density for HCOOH reached 37.6 mA cm^?2 at a Faradaic efficiency of 91.6 %, which is much higher than all values reported to date for this reaction, including those using homogeneous and noble metal electrocatalysts. The reasons for such high efficiency were investigated using controlled experiments.     

Highly Efficient Electroreduction of CO2 to C2+ Alcohols on Heterogeneous Dual Active Sites

Electroreduction of CO₂ to liquid fuels such as ethanol and n‐propanol, powered by renewable electricity, offers a promising strategy for controlling the global carbon balance and addressing the need for the storage of intermittent renewable energy. In this work, we discovered that the composite composed of nitrogen‐doped graphene quantum dots (NGQ) on CuO‐derived Cu nanorods (NGQ/Cu‐nr) was an outstanding electrocatalyst for the reduction of CO₂ to ethanol and n‐propanol. The Faradaic efficiency (FE) of C2+ alcohols could reach 52.4 % with a total current density of 282.1 mA cm^?2. This is the highest FE for C2+ alcohols with a commercial current density to date. Control experiments and DFT studies show that the NGQ/Cu‐nr could provide dual catalytic active sites and could stabilize the CH₂CHO intermediate to enhance the FE of alcohols significantly through further carbon protonation. The NGQ and Cu‐nr had excellent synergistic effects for accelerating the reduction of CO₂ to alcohols.     

Metal–Organic Framework‐Derived Carbon Nanorods Encapsulating Bismuth Oxides for Rapid and Selective CO2 Electroreduction to Formate

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) conversion is promising in alleviating the excessive CO₂ level and simultaneously producing valuables. This work reports the preparation of carbon nanorods encapsulated bismuth oxides for the efficient CO₂ electroconversion toward formate production. This resultant catalyst exhibits a small onset potential of ?0.28 V vs. RHE and partial current density of over 200 mA cm^?2 with a stable and high Faradaic efficiency of 93 % for formate generation in a flow cell configuration. Electrochemical results demonstrate the synergistic effect in the Bi₂O₃@C promotes the rapid and selective CO₂ reduction in which the Bi₂O₃ is beneficial for improving the reaction kinetics and formate selectivity, while the carbon matrix would be helpful for enhancing the activity and current density of formate production. This work provides effective bismuth‐based MOF derivatives for efficient formate production and offers insights in promoting practical CO₂ conversion technology.     

In Situ Bismuth Nanosheet Assembly for Highly Selective Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Formate

The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value-added fuels using an electrochemical method has been regarded as a compelling sustainable energy conversion technology. However, high-performance electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) with high formate selectivity and good stability need to be improved. Earth-abundant Bi has been demonstrated to be active for CO₂RR to formate. Herein, we fabricated an extremely active and selective bismuth nanosheet (Bi-NSs) assembly via an in situ electrochemical transformation of (BiO)₂CO₃ nanostructures. The as-prepared material exhibits high activity and selectivity for CO₂RR to formate, with nearly 94% faradaic efficiency at −1.03 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE)) and stable selectivity (>90%) in a large potential window ranging from −0.83 to −1.18 V (vs. RHE) and excellent durability during 12 h continuous electrolysis. In addition, the Bi-NSs based CO₂RR/methanol oxidation reaction (CO₂RR/MOR) electrolytic system for overall CO₂ splitting was constructed, evidencing the feasibility of its practical implementation.     

High-efficiency electrochemical CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-to-methane reduction method using aqueous KHCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> media at less than 273 K

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ with a Cu electrode in a KHCO₃ aqueous solution was investigated at low temperature. A divided H-type cell was employed; the electrolyte was a 1.1 mol dm^–3 KHCO₃ aqueous solution. The temperature during the electrolysis of CO₂ was reduced to 269 K. Methane, ethylene, and formic acid were obtained from CO₂ as the main products. The maximum faradaic efficiency of methane was 44% at a relatively negative potential and 269 K. The efficiency of hydrogen formation, as the competition against CO₂ reduction, significantly decreased with lowering the temperature. On the basis of this work, the high-efficiency electrochemical CO₂ to methane conversion method appears to be achieved. Electronic Publication     

Efficient Charge Separation between Bi and Bi2MoO6 for Photoelectrochemical Properties

Herein, porous Bi/Bi₂MoO₆ nanoparticles have been prepared by a facile in‐situ reduction approach. Moreover, the morphology and Bi content of product could be controlled by varying the reaction time. By controlled fabrication, the desired porous Bi₂MoO₆ nanostructure with incorporation of Bi was obtained and exhibited high photoelectric and photocatalytic activity. In particular, the samples yield a photocurrent density of 320 μA cm^?2, which is 3.2 times that of the pure Bi₂MoO₆ nanosheet (100 μA cm^?2) under the same conditions. UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis confirmed the surface plasmon resonance in the as‐prepared porous nanoparticles. The improved photoelectric properties could be the synergistic effect of the porous structure with large surface area and effective electron‐hole separations between Bi and Bi₂MoO₆.     

Coordinating the Edge Defects of Bismuth with Sulfur for Enhanced CO2 Electroreduction to Formate

Bismuth-based materials have been recognized as promising catalysts for the electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (ECO₂RR). However, they show poor selectivity due to competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this study, we have developed an edge defect modulation strategy for Bi by coordinating the edge defects of bismuth (Bi) with sulfur, to promote ECO₂RR selectivity and inhibit the competing HER. The prepared catalysts demonstrate excellent product selectivity, with a high HCOO⁻ Faraday efficiency of ≈95 % and an HCOO⁻ partial current of ≈250 mA cm⁻² under alkaline electrolytes. Density function theory calculations reveal that sulfur tends to bind to the Bi edge defects, reducing the coordination-unsaturated Bi sites (*H adsorption sites), and regulating the charge states of neighboring Bi sites to improve *OCHO adsorption. This work deepens our understanding of ECO₂RR mechanism on bismuth-based catalysts, guiding for the design of advanced ECO₂RR catalysts.     

MoP Nanoparticles Supported on Indium‐Doped Porous Carbon: Outstanding Catalysts for Highly Efficient CO2 Electroreduction

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into value‐added product is an interesting area. MoP nanoparticles supported on porous carbon were synthesized using metal–organic frameworks as the carbon precursor, and initial work on CO₂ electroreduction using the MoP‐based catalyst were carried out. It was discovered that MoP nanoparticles supported on In‐doped porous carbon had outstanding performance for CO₂ reduction to formic acid. The Faradaic efficiency and current density could reach 96.5 % and 43.8 mA cm^?2, respectively, when using ionic liquid 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate as the supporting electrolyte. The current density is higher than those reported up to date with very high Faradaic efficiency. The MoP nanoparticles and the doped In₂O₃ cooperated very well in catalyzing the CO₂ electroreduction.