Synergistic Interface Engineering in Bi₂O₃-In₂O₃@CuO Nanowires for Highly Selective Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction to Formate

Abstract

Converting carbon dioxide and water into high-value chemicals using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power is an effective strategy to simultaneously address the depletion of fossil energy and promote low-carbon emissions and alleviate the greenhouse effect. The electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 RR) involves a multi-proton coupled electron transfer process, including multiple steps such as CO 2 adsorption, activation and hydrogenation. Although significant progress has been made in the electrocatalytic conversion of CO 2 RR to formate, achieving formate production that combines sustained high activity, high selectivity and high stability still faces severe challenges. This study developed a high-performance electrocatalyst, Bi 2 O 3 -In 2 O 3 @CuO, which was obtained by in-situ growth of core-shell nanowire structures on Cu foams. This structure takes Cu nanowires (NWs) as the core, and the outer layer was bismuth-indium metal oxide shell. The obtained catalyst exhibited excellent performance in CO 2 RR, with a current density reaching 28.4 mA cm -2 and a Faraday efficiency of formate as high as 88.7%.