Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formic acid on Bi2O2CO3/carbon fiber electrodes

Author(s)

Puppin, Lara G. ^[1] ; Khalid, Mohd ^[1] ; da Silva, Gelson T. T. ^[2] ; Ribeir, Caue o ^{[3, 2]} ; Varela, Hamilton ^[1] ; Lopes, Osmando F. ^{[1, 4]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Chem Sao Carlos, BR-13560970 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Embrapa Instrumentat, Rua 15 Novembro, BR-13560970 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Forschungszentrum Julich, Inst Energy & Climate Res IEK Electrochem Proc En, D-52425 Julich - Germany

^[4] Univ Fed Uberlandia, Inst Chem, Lab Photochem & Mat Sci, BR-38400902 Uberlandia, MG - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Materials Research; v. 35, n. 3, p. 272-280, FEB 14 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formic acid is a good strategy to address both environmental and energy issues. However, some drawbacks including low activity, selectivity, and stability of electrocatalysts must be overcome. We propose a method for tailoring Bi2O2CO3-coated carbon fiber electrodes with higher selectivity and stability for electrochemical CO2 reduction to formic acid. We evaluated the effect of Bi2O2CO3 and Nafion contents on the electrocatalysts performance for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). All electrodes produced only HCOO- in the liquid phase with a maximum faradaic efficiency (FE) of 69%. The electrocatalysts were stable under 24 h of continuous CO2RR operation. The FE increased with the increasing electrolyte concentration and cation radius size, which indicates that the anion stabilization in solution is critical for adequate formate generation. The CO2RR mechanism was proposed with basis on the literature. The structural carbonate of Bi2O2CO3 acts as an intermediate species in the formate production from CO2. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/01258-5 - Novel chemical catalytic and photocatalytic processes for the direct conversion of methane and CO2 to products
• Grantee: José Maria Correa Bueno
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/09713-0 - Evaluation of efficiency and selectivity in CO2 electrocatalytic reduction of Sn and Bi deposited in carbon fiber
• Grantee: Lara Giraldelli Puppin
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 17/00433-5 - Design and synthesis of multifunctional metal-free electrocatalyst onto carbon fiber yarns for oxygen reduction, and oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions
• Grantee: Mohmmad Khalid
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/09746-3 - Electro-/Photoelectrocatalysis Reduction of CO2: Efficiency, Selectivity and Oscillatory Kinetics
• Grantee: Osmando Ferreira Lopes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 13/16930-7 - Electrocatalysis V: electrocatalytic processes of chemical and electrical energy interconversion
• Grantee: Edson Antonio Ticianelli
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants