Electrodeposition of nano-sized bismuth on copper foil as electrocatalyst for reduction of CO2 to formate.

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to formate is energetically inefficient because high overpotential is required for reduction of CO 2 to formate on most traditional catalysts. In this paper, a novel nano-sized Bi-based electrocatalyst deposited on a Cu foil has been synthesized, which can be used as a cathode for electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to formate with a low overpotential (0.69 V) and a high selectivity (91.3%). The electrocatalyst can show excellent catalytic performance toward reduction of CO 2 which can probably be attributed to the nano-sized structure and the surface oxide layer. The energy efficiency for reduction of CO 2 to formate can reach to 50% when an Ir x Sn y Ru z O 2 /Ti electrode is used as anode, it is one of the highest values found in the literatures and very practicable for sustainable fuel synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]