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Orbital Interactions in Bi‐Sn Bimetallic Electrocatalysts for Highly Selective Electrochemical CO 2 Reduction toward Formate Production
Author(s) -
Wen Guobin,
Lee Dong Un,
Ren Bohua,
Hassan Fathy M.,
Jiang Gaopeng,
Cano Zachary P.,
Gostick Jeff,
Croiset Eric,
Bai Zhengyu,
Yang Lin,
Chen Zhongwei
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced energy materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.08
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1614-6840
pISSN - 1614-6832
DOI - 10.1002/aenm.201802427
Subject(s) - faraday efficiency , formate , bimetallic strip , materials science , electrocatalyst , catalysis , reversible hydrogen electrode , bismuth , electrochemistry , inorganic chemistry , tin , nanoparticle , adsorption , chemical engineering , photochemistry , electrode , nanotechnology , chemistry , working electrode , metal , organic chemistry , engineering , metallurgy
A highly selective and durable electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) conversion to formate is developed, consisting of tin (Sn) nanosheets decorated with bismuth (Bi) nanoparticles. Owing to the formation of active sites through favorable orbital interactions at the Sn‐Bi interface, the Bi‐Sn bimetallic catalyst converts CO 2 to formate with a remarkably high Faradaic efficiency (96%) and production rate (0.74 mmol h −1 cm −2 ) at −1.1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Additionally, the catalyst maintains its initial efficiency over an unprecedented 100 h of operation. Density functional theory reveals that the addition of Bi nanoparticles upshifts the electron states of Sn away from the Fermi level, allowing the HCOO* intermediate to favorably adsorb onto the Bi‐Sn interface compared to a pure Sn surface. This effectively facilitates the flow of electrons to promote selective and durable conversion of CO 2 to formate. This study provides sub‐atomic level insights and a general methodology for bimetallic catalyst developments and surface engineering for highly selective CO 2 electroreduction.