Lewis Acid Adsorption Promotes CO <sub>2</sub> Enrichment for Efficient Formic Acid Electrosynthesis on Reconstructed Bi <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub> CO <sub>3</sub> in Acidic Media

In acidic media, electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction to formic acid (HCOOH) represents a promising strategy for producing value-added chemicals. However, a critical challenge persists in enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption and activation to suppress hydrogen evolution and boost product selectivity. Here, a Lewis acidic Zr-oxo cluster-rich porous confined structure decorated Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> catalyst (Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>@PCN) is constructed via in situ electroreconstruction, which effectively promotes surface CO<sub>2</sub> enrichment and K<sup>+</sup> confinement in acidic conditions. Spatially adjacent Zr-oxo clusters enhance CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption at the interface through Lewis acid-base interactions, facilitating the *OCHO intermediate formation. The optimized Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>@PCN catalyst achieves a high HCOOH Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 95% across a broad potential window and demonstrates a 5.9-fold higher mass activity compared to Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> in acidic media at ‒1.8 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Notably, Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>@PCN exhibits superior HCOOH FE compared to Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> under low-concentration CO<sub>2</sub> flow. Mechanistically, the strong binding of CO<sub>2</sub> molecules at Bi-O-Zr interfacial sites significantly lowers the hydrogenation barrier, while K<sup>+</sup> enrichment repels protons and suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction. This work underscores the pivotal role of surface confinement and Lewis acidic sites in regulating interfacial microenvironments and CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption, highlighting their potential for efficient conversion of low-concentration CO<sub>2</sub>.

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Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2025-12-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202512476
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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article
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article

Lewis Acid Adsorption Promotes CO 2 Enrichment for Efficient Formic Acid Electrosynthesis on Reconstructed Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 in Acidic Media

Yiwei Shen, Kuiwei Yang, Xubei Wang, Seeram Ramakrishna et al.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
article

Lewis Acid Adsorption Promotes CO 2 Enrichment for Efficient Formic Acid Electrosynthesis on Reconstructed Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 in Acidic Media

Yiwei Shen, Kuiwei Yang, Xubei Wang, Seeram Ramakrishna, Sung‐Fu Hung, Shiling Peng, Feng Hu, Yuping Wu, Chuan Hu, Kang‐Shun Peng, Ying Wang
article en

Abstract

In acidic media, electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction to formic acid (HCOOH) represents a promising strategy for producing value-added chemicals. However, a critical challenge persists in enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption and activation to suppress hydrogen evolution and boost product selectivity. Here, a Lewis acidic Zr-oxo cluster-rich porous confined structure decorated Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> catalyst (Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>@PCN) is constructed via in situ electroreconstruction, which effectively promotes surface CO<sub>2</sub> enrichment and K<sup>+</sup> confinement in acidic conditions. Spatially adjacent Zr-oxo clusters enhance CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption at the interface through Lewis acid-base interactions, facilitating the *OCHO intermediate formation. The optimized Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>@PCN catalyst achieves a high HCOOH Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 95% across a broad potential window and demonstrates a 5.9-fold higher mass activity compared to Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> in acidic media at ‒1.8 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Notably, Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>@PCN exhibits superior HCOOH FE compared to Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> under low-concentration CO<sub>2</sub> flow. Mechanistically, the strong binding of CO<sub>2</sub> molecules at Bi-O-Zr interfacial sites significantly lowers the hydrogenation barrier, while K<sup>+</sup> enrichment repels protons and suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction. This work underscores the pivotal role of surface confinement and Lewis acidic sites in regulating interfacial microenvironments and CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption, highlighting their potential for efficient conversion of low-concentration CO<sub>2</sub>.

Angewandte Chemie International EditionVol. 65(2)
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (TW), Kaohsiung Medical University (TW), National University of Singapore (SG), Shaoxing University (CN), Henan Academy of Sciences (CN), Energy Storage Systems (United States) (US), Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 70%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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