Sn/SnOx electrode catalyst with mesoporous structure for efficient electroreduction of CO2 to formate

The Sn/SnOx electrode catalyst with mesoporous structures was successfully prepared by using an anodic oxidation method. The surface of the Sn/SnOx electrocatalyst has well-ordered nanopores with around 50 nm in diameter, and the tin oxide layer formed on the surface belongs to amorphous structure. The experimental results indicate that the prepared mesoporous Sn/SnOx electrode catalyst has an excellent catalytic activity for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate, with a high Faradaic efficiency (89.6%) at -1.2 V vs. RHE, which is due to its mesoporous structure having a high specific surface area and surface tin oxide layer. Moreover, the mesoporous Sn/SnOx electrode could keep stable catalytic activity during a 12-hour period of the electrolysis.