Metal-organic framework derived dual-metal sites for electroreduction of carbon dioxide to HCOOH

The electrochemical CO2 reduction to formic acid (HCOOH) by Bi-based catalysts has been considered an effective way to solve the energy and environmental crisis. However, achieving high selectivity, high current density, and long-term stability for HCOOH production, remains a substantial challenge. Herein, BiIn alloy nanoparticles (NPs), deriving from the bimetallic metal-organic frameworks, exhibit an excellent HCOOH Faradaic efficiency (FEHCOOH) of 92.5% at the current density of 300 mA cm(-2), as well as a production rate of 5170 mu mol h(-1) cm(-2). Moreover, the BiIn alloy NPs also achieve superior stability that over 25 h with less than 10% FE drop at the current density of 120 mA cm(-2) in a membrane electrode assembly system. In-situ spectra and theoretical calculations suggest that the Bi-In dual-metal sites can provide the optimal binding energy to *OCHO intermediate, thus accelerating the CO2 to HCOOH conversion.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that BiIn alloy nanoparticles exhibit high efficiency and stability during the CO2 reduction to formic acid reaction. By providing optimal binding energy, the Bi-In dual-metal sites accelerate the conversion of CO2 to formic acid.