Highly Selective Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> into Methane on Cu–Bi Nanoalloys
Zhijiang Wang, Qi Yuan, Jingjing Shan, Zhaohua Jiang, Ping Xu, Yongfeng Hu, Jigang Zhou, Lina Wu, Zhuang‐Zhuang Niu, Jianmin Sun, Tao Cheng, William A. Goddard
Abstract
Faradaic efficiency (FE) as high as 70.6% at -1.2 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The FE of Cu-Bi NPs has increased by approximately 25-fold compared with that of Cu NPs. DFT calculations showed that alloying Cu with Bi significantly decreases the formation energy of *COH formation, the rate-determining step, which explains the improved performance. Further analysis showed that Cu that has been partially oxidized because of electron withdrawal by Bi is the most possible active site.
Topics & Concepts
OverpotentialSelectivityFaraday efficiencyCatalysisMethaneMaterials scienceChemical engineeringMetalReversible hydrogen electrodeInorganic chemistryElectrodeChemistryElectrochemistryMetallurgyPhysical chemistryOrganic chemistryReference electrodeEngineeringCO2 Reduction Techniques and CatalystsIonic liquids properties and applicationsElectrocatalysts for Energy Conversion