Carbon Nanogrid‐Directed Interfacial Electric Field Engineering Boosts Selective CO <sub>2</sub> ‐to‐Formate Electrosynthesis

Efficient and durable electrochemical conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> to formate at industrially relevant current densities remains challenging, as Sn-based catalysts often suffer from poor conductivity, structural degradation, and overly strong binding to key reaction intermediates. Here, we introduce a nanogrid-directed interfacial electric field engineering strategy that addresses these limitations by spatially confining Sn nanoparticles within a conductive carbon nanotube nanogrid framework (Sn@CNT). The hierarchical architecture induces intense and well-distributed interfacial electric fields, which accelerate charge transport, optimize the adsorption-desorption kinetics of *HCOOH intermediates, and promote interfacial H<sub>2</sub>O dissociation while maintaining a favorable local ion environment. As a result, the Sn@CNT catalyst delivers a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 95.6% for formate at 300 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>, and maintains over 90% FE for 200 h in a flow cell in alkaline conditions. In the solid-electrolyte cell, the formate combines with protons to yield formic acid, enabling stable production of 1.1 m formic acid at 400 mA for more than 300 h without observable performance decay. Operando spectroscopy and theoretical simulations reveal that the CNT nanogrid establishes a confined interfacial field that redistributes local charges, facilitates H<sub>2</sub>O activation, and lowers the desorption barrier of *HCOOH intermediates. This cooperative field modulation also establishes a mild microenvironment that enhances CO<sub>2</sub> reduction kinetics while suppressing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. This work demonstrates nanogrid-directed interfacial field engineering as a broadly applicable approach for tailoring electrochemical interfaces, offering design principles for efficient and stable CO<sub>2</sub>-to-formate electrosynthesis.

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Small
Published
2026-01-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202514141
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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article
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article

Carbon Nanogrid‐Directed Interfacial Electric Field Engineering Boosts Selective CO 2 ‐to‐Formate Electrosynthesis

Meiling Wang, Lei Jiang, Zewen Wang, Ying Zhu et al.
Small
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
article

Carbon Nanogrid‐Directed Interfacial Electric Field Engineering Boosts Selective CO 2 ‐to‐Formate Electrosynthesis

Meiling Wang, Lei Jiang, Zewen Wang, Ying Zhu, Mingwei Fang
article en

Abstract

Efficient and durable electrochemical conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> to formate at industrially relevant current densities remains challenging, as Sn-based catalysts often suffer from poor conductivity, structural degradation, and overly strong binding to key reaction intermediates. Here, we introduce a nanogrid-directed interfacial electric field engineering strategy that addresses these limitations by spatially confining Sn nanoparticles within a conductive carbon nanotube nanogrid framework (Sn@CNT). The hierarchical architecture induces intense and well-distributed interfacial electric fields, which accelerate charge transport, optimize the adsorption-desorption kinetics of *HCOOH intermediates, and promote interfacial H<sub>2</sub>O dissociation while maintaining a favorable local ion environment. As a result, the Sn@CNT catalyst delivers a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 95.6% for formate at 300 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>, and maintains over 90% FE for 200 h in a flow cell in alkaline conditions. In the solid-electrolyte cell, the formate combines with protons to yield formic acid, enabling stable production of 1.1 m formic acid at 400 mA for more than 300 h without observable performance decay. Operando spectroscopy and theoretical simulations reveal that the CNT nanogrid establishes a confined interfacial field that redistributes local charges, facilitates H<sub>2</sub>O activation, and lowers the desorption barrier of *HCOOH intermediates. This cooperative field modulation also establishes a mild microenvironment that enhances CO<sub>2</sub> reduction kinetics while suppressing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. This work demonstrates nanogrid-directed interfacial field engineering as a broadly applicable approach for tailoring electrochemical interfaces, offering design principles for efficient and stable CO<sub>2</sub>-to-formate electrosynthesis.

SmallVol. 22(15)
Zhejiang International Studies University (CN), Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (CN), Ministry of Education (TW), Beihang University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 86%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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