Surface-Oxygen-Rich Bi@C Nanoparticles for High-Efficiency Electroreduction of CO2 to Formate

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising strategy to alleviate excessive CO2 levels in the atmosphere and produce value-added feedstocks and fuels. However, the synthesis of high-efficiency and robust electrocatalysts remains a great challenge. This work reports the green preparation of surface-oxygen-rich carbon-nanorod-supported bismuth nanoparticles (SOR Bi@C NPs) for an efficient CO2RR toward formate. The resultant SOR Bi@C NPs catalyst displays a Faradaic efficiency of more than 91% for formate generation over a wide potential range of 440 mV. Ex situ XPS and XANES and in situ Raman spectroscopy demonstrate that the Bi-O/Bi (110) structure in the pristine SOR Bi@C NPs can remain stable during the CO2RR process. DFT calculations reveal that the Bi-O/Bi (110) structure can facilitate the formation of the *OCHO intermediate. This work provides an approach to the development of high-efficiency Bi-based catalysts for the CO2RR and offers a unique insight into the exploration of advanced electrocatalysts.