In situ embedded bismuth nanoparticles among highly porous carbon fibers for efficient carbon dioxide reduction
Weijian Guo, Ao Zhou, Wenwen Cai, Jintao Zhang
Abstract
Abstract Electrocatalysis provides an optimal approach for the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into high‐value chemicals, thereby presenting a promising avenue toward achieve carbon neutrality. However, addressing the selectivity and stability challenges of metal catalysts in electrolytic reduction remains a daunting task. In this study, the electrospinning method is employed to fabricate porous carbon nanofibers loaded with bismuth nanoparticles with the help of in situ pyrolysis. The porous carbon nanofibers as conductive support would facilitate the dispersion of bismuth active sites while inhibiting their aggregation and promoting the mass transfer, thus enhancing their electrocatalytic activity and stability. Additionally, nitrogen doping induces electron delocalization in bismuth atoms through metal‐support interactions, thus enabling efficient adsorption of intermediates for improving selectivity based on the theoretical calculation. Consequently, Bi@PCNF‐500 exhibits the exceptional selectivity and stability across a wide range of potential windows. Notably, its faradaic efficiency (FE) of formate reaches 92.7% in H‐cell and 94.9% in flow cell, respectively, with good electrocatalytic stability. The in situ characterization and theoretical calculations elucidate the plausible reaction mechanism to obtain basic rules for designing efficient electrocatalyst.