Promoting CO2 reduction to formate selectivity on indium-doped tin oxide nanowires.

[Display omitted] • Indium-doped tin oxide nanowires (In-SnO 2 NWs) were synthesized by the facile polyol technique, followed by wet-impregnation and calcination. • Enhanced formate selectivity up to ∼82 % at −1.04 V (vs RHE) is mainly driven by the In-SnO 2 synergistic interaction. • A defective SnO 2 surface induced by the In dopant provides more active sites; concurrently, the regulating electronic structure tailors the reaction intermediates to be stably adsorbed to produce more formate ions. Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to various chemicals is a promising approach to dealing with excessive CO 2 accumulation in the atmosphere. Even though numerous electrocatalysts have been extensively utilized for the reaction, several challenges remain such as high overpotential, poor stability, and low selectivity followed by the domination of hydrogen formation. To overcome these problems, multi-component materials have been proposed due to their advanced catalytic activity compared to single-component materials. Herein, we present preparation of the indium-doped tin oxide nanowires (In-SnO 2 NWs) as an efficient electrocatalyst to promote CO 2 reduction into formate. The unique 1D structure of SnO 2 NWs with simultaneously doped-In (5.4at% In) can enhance the selectivity toward formate by up to ∼82 % compared to bare SnO 2 NWs (∼58.9 %) at −1.04 V (vs RHE). The modified SnO 2 surface driven by In-doping induces electron delocalization in between, and the surface defects provide more active sites. Thus, the intermediate could be stably adsorbed to produce more formate ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]