Hexagonal prism-shaped CuO/SnO2 heterostructure for high-performance CO2ER to formate

Abstract

A hexagonal prism-shaped CuO/SnO₂ heterostructured catalyst with electron-enriched SnO₂ active sites was designed and synthesized. The formation of the CuO/SnO₂ heterointerface and electron-enriched SnO₂ active sites significantly enhanced the catalytic activity and selectivity for HCOO⁻ in electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂ER), while the well-defined hexagonal prismatic architecture provided catalytic and morphological stability. Consequently, the catalyst delivered a j_HCOO⁻ surpassing that of pure SnO₂ by 5 mA cm⁻² at −1.2 V vs. RHE and achieved FE_HCOO⁻ up to 97% at −0.9 V vs. RHE, retaining FE_HCOO⁻ above 80% with negligible current density decay after 36 hours of durability testing.