Modulating *OCHO Adsorption Configuration on a Reconstructed Ag <sub>3</sub> Sn Quantum Dots/S–Sn Heterostructure for Selective CO <sub>2</sub> ‐to‐Formate Conversion
ABSTRACT Electrochemical CO 2 reduction to formate offers a promising route for sustainable chemical synthesis, yet achieving high selectivity and activity remains challenging due to the inefficient adsorption of key reaction intermediates. Here, an Ag 3 Sn alloy quantum dots‐modified S–doped Sn (Ag 3 Sn AQD/S─Sn) heterojunction catalyst is constructed using a galvanic replacement strategy followed by in situ reconstruction. This unique architecture creates abundant interfacial sites that form an integrated dual‐site configuration. Combined ex situ/in situ characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that this configuration stabilizes the bidentate adsorption of the critical *OCHO intermediate, effectively lowering the energy barrier for its conversion. Consequently, the Ag 3 Sn AQD/S─Sn catalyst exhibits an enhanced Faradaic efficiency (FE) for formate of 91.8% (compared to 59.1% for S─Sn catalyst). Remarkably, in a flow cell, it achieves a high formate partial current density of –226.3 mA cm −2 (formate FE of 88.9 ± 1.6%) and a production rate of 4225.2 µmol cm −2 h −1 , along with stable operation exceeding 60 h at –200 mA cm −2 . This work highlights the design of interfacial dual‐site configurations as an effective strategy for steering intermediate adsorption toward selective CO 2 conversion.
Authors
- Yuan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5884-4850)
- Ruizhe Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6616-3388)
- Yi Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6116-9198)
- Zihan Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0033-0969)
- Ming Huang
- Xinghua Zhu
- Xiaoli Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1726-3555)
- Kai Wang
Institutions
- Xihua University (CN)
- Beijing Institute of Technology (CN)
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Nankai University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Energy Materials
- Published
- 2026-05-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.71057
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China