Boosting Production of HCOOH from CO2 Electroreduction via Bi/CeOx

Formic acid (HCOOH) is one of the most promising chemical fuels that can be produced through CO2 electroreduction. However, most of the catalysts for CO2 electroreduction to HCOOH in aqueous solution often suffer from low current density and limited production rate. Herein, we provide a bismuth/cerium oxide (Bi/CeOx) catalyst, which exhibits not only high current density (149 mA cm(-2)), but also unprecedented production rate (2600 mu mol h(-1) cm(-2)) with high Faradaic efficiency (FE, 92 %) for HCOOH generation in aqueous media. Furthermore, Bi/CeOx also shows favorable stability over 34 h. We hope this work could offer an attractive and promising strategy to develop efficient catalysts for CO2 electroreduction with superior activity and desirable stability.

Automated summary

A Bi/CeOx catalyst with high current density, unprecedented production rate, and high Faradaic efficiency was developed for the generation of formic acid in aqueous media. The catalyst also exhibited favorable stability over 34 hours, offering a promising strategy for efficient CO2 electroreduction catalysts.