Lattice strain and interfacial engineering of a Bi-based electrocatalyst for highly selective CO2 electroreduction to formate

Surface strain tuning in a coupled heterostructure efficiently engineers the catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts by altering electronic structures and boosting electron transport. Generally, Bi-based are more favorable than ZnO for CO2 electroreduction to formate, but Bi is much costly Zn. Herein, new Bi2O2CO3/ZnO heterojunction catalyst with porous nanoplate morphology synthesized through hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide-templated hydrothermal reaction highly efficient reduction (CO2RR) produce formate. The shows maximum Faradaic efficiency 92% formate production at −1.0 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) large partial current density −200 mA mgBi −1 −1.2 RHE. More importantly, mass activity normalized an approximately 3.1-fold enhancement over that pristine Bi2O2CO3 By coupling X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy adsorption measurements, charge transfer from Zn atom interface results electron-enriched surface, which facilitates capture activation. Meanwhile, compressive stress produced on surface helps optimize energy intermediate, synergistically enhancing selectivity electrochemical