International Journal of Energy Research

Volume 46, Issue 12 pp. 17015-17028

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Facile synthesis and composition-tuning of bimetallic PbCd nanoparticles as superior CO₂-to-HCOOH electrocatalysts

Xueliang Sun,

Xueliang Sun

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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Qilong Wang,

Qilong Wang

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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Yuyu Liu,

Corresponding Author

Yuyu Liu

[email protected]

orcid.org/0000-0001-6542-2325

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

Correspondence

Yuyu Liu, Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.

Email: [email protected]

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Jin Yi,

Jin Yi

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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Jiujun Zhang,

Jiujun Zhang

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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Xueliang Sun,

Xueliang Sun

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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Qilong Wang,

Qilong Wang

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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Yuyu Liu,

Corresponding Author

Yuyu Liu

[email protected]

orcid.org/0000-0001-6542-2325

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

Correspondence

Yuyu Liu, Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.

Email: [email protected]

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Jin Yi,

Jin Yi

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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Jiujun Zhang,

Jiujun Zhang

Institute for Sustainable Energy, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

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First published: 11 July 2022

https://doi.org/10.1002/er.8365

Citations: 3

Funding information: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Number: 22072087

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Summary

CO₂ reduction to produce value-added chemicals/fuels is generally considered as an effective way to solve the energy crisis and global warming. However, the greatest challenge to the technology is the lack of high-performance catalysts as this process is quite sluggish under mild conditions. Herein, we have carefully prepared a series of bimetallic Pb_xCd_y nanoparticles (NPs) as well as their monometallic counterparts via a facile chemical reduction. Electrocatalytic performances of obtained catalysts were evaluated with respect to chemical composition, electrolytic potential, and so on. All of them exhibit high performance and achieve high faradaic efficiency for HCOOH production (FE_HCOOH) over a voltage window of −1.16 to −1.26 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (V_RHE). Among them, Pb₃Cd₁ achieved a maximum FE_HCOOH of 96% at −1.16 V_RHE and a desirable stability over 12 hours of continuous electrolysis. The excellent performance of Pb₃Cd₁ can be attributed to the huge specific area of NPs and the synergistic effect of the components. This study shows that efficient bimetallic Pb_xCd_y electrocatalysts have a large application potential for highly selective HCOOH production from CO₂.

Highlights

Bimetallic PbCd nanoparticles were synthesized by facile chemical reduction for electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction.
PbCd nanocatalysts performed well in highly active, selective, and stable HCOOH electrosynthesis from aqueous CO₂.
Pb₃Cd₁ achieved maximum HCOOH faradaic efficiency of 96% at −1.16 V_RHE, a record as far as we know.
A stable current density (>7 mA cm⁻²) can be kept after a 12-hours continuous electrolysis.

Open Research

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Supporting Information

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Facile synthesis and composition-tuning of bimetallic PbCd nanoparticles as superior CO₂-to-HCOOH electrocatalysts

Summary

Highlights

Open Research

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Supporting Information

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Facile synthesis and composition-tuning of bimetallic PbCd nanoparticles as superior CO2-to-HCOOH electrocatalysts

Summary

Highlights

Open Research

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Supporting Information

REFERENCES

Citing Literature

References

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Facile synthesis and composition-tuning of bimetallic PbCd nanoparticles as superior CO₂-to-HCOOH electrocatalysts