Bi2O3 Nanosheets Grown on Multi‐Channel Carbon Matrix to Catalyze Efficient CO2 Electroreduction to HCOOH

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 58; no. 39; pp. 13828 - 13833
• Main Authors: Liu, Subiao, Lu, Xue Feng, Xiao, Jing, Wang, Xin, Lou, Xiong Wen (David)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 23.09.2019
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Bi2O3; Bismuth oxides; Bismuth trioxide; Carbon dioxide; carbon fibers; CO2 electroreduction; Contact resistance; Electron transfer; Energy efficiency; formic acid; Nanosheets; Work functions
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201907674

Bi2O3 nanosheets were grown on a conductive multiple channel carbon matrix (MCCM) for CO2RR. The obtained electrocatalyst shows a desirable partial current density of ca. 17.7 mA cm−2 at a moderate overpotential, and it is highly selective towards HCOOH formation with Faradaic efficiency approaching 90 % in a wide potential window and its maximum value of 93.8 % at −1.256 V. It also exhibits a maximum energy efficiency of 55.3 % at an overpotential of 0.846 V and long‐term stability of 12 h with negligible degradation. The superior performance is attributed to the synergistic contribution of the interwoven MCCM and the hierarchical Bi2O3 nanosheets, where the MCCM provides an accelerated electron transfer, increased CO2 adsorption, and a high ratio of pyrrolic‐N and pyridinic‐N, while ultrathin Bi2O3 nanosheets offer abundant active sites, lowered contact resistance and work function as well as a shortened diffusion pathway for electrolyte. Ultrathin Bi2O3 nanosheets have been successfully grown on a conductive multi‐channel carbon matrix (Bi2O3NSs@MCCM). The obtained Bi2O3NSs@MCCM electrocatalyst achieves a comparably high current density at a moderate overpotential for electrochemical CO2 reduction to HCOOH with high selectivity and good long‐term stability.