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Phosphomolybdic Acid‐Assisted Growth of Ultrathin Bismuth Nanosheets for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO 2 to Formate
Author(s) -
Guo SiXuan,
Zhang Ying,
Zhang Xiaolong,
Easton Christopher D.,
MacFarlane Douglas R.,
Zhang Jie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201802409
Subject(s) - tafel equation , catalysis , faraday efficiency , formate , phosphomolybdic acid , inorganic chemistry , selectivity , bismuth , chemistry , limiting current , oxide , adsorption , electrocatalyst , chemical engineering , materials science , electrochemistry , organic chemistry , electrode , engineering
Oxides containing two‐dimensional metallic catalysts have shown enhanced catalytic activity, stability, and product selectivity. Porous three‐dimensional structures maximize the accessibility of the active sites, thus enhancing the catalytic performance of the catalysts. By integrating these desirable features in a single catalyst, further improvement in catalytic activity and selectivity is expected. In this study, oxide‐containing bismuth (Bi) nanosheets of about 4 nm thickness interconnected to form a porous three‐dimensional structure were synthesized by electrodeposition in the presence of phosphomolybdic acid under hydrogen evolution conditions. These Bi nanosheets catalyze CO 2 reduction in a CO 2 ‐saturated 0.5 m NaHCO 3 solution to formate with a faradaic efficiency of 93±2 % at −0.86 V vs. RHE with a formate partial current density as high as 30 mA cm −2 . The Tafel slope of about 78 mV dec −1 suggests that the protonation of the adsorbed CO 2 .− is the rate‐limiting step.