posted on 2021-03-12, 20:33authored byWenjun Zhang, Songyuan Yang, Minghang Jiang, Yi Hu, Chaoquan Hu, Xiaoli Zhang, Zhong Jin
Electrocatalytic
CO2 reduction reaction is regarded
as an intriguing route for producing renewable chemicals and fuels,
but its development is limited by the lack of highly efficient and
stable electrocatalysts. Herein, we propose the pipet-like bismuth
(Bi) nanorods semifilled in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (Bi-NRs@NCNTs)
for highly selective electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. Benefited
from the prominent capillary and confinement effects, the Bi-NRs@NCNTs
act as nanoscale conveyors that can significantly facilitate the mass
transport, adsorption,and concentration of reactants onto the active
sites, realizing rapid reaction kinetics and low cathodic polarization.
The spatial encapsulation and separation by the NCNT shells prevents
the self-aggregation and surface oxidation of Bi-NRs, increasing the
dispersity and stability of the electrocatalyst. As a result, the
Bi-NRs@NCNTs exhibit high activity and durable catalytic stability
for CO2-to-formate conversion over a wide potential range.
The Faradaic efficiency for formate production reaches 90.9% at a
moderate applied potential of −0.9 V vs reversible hydrogen
electrode (RHE).