1D SnO2 with Wire-in-Tube Architectures for Highly Selective Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to C1 Products

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/adfm.201706289

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ (ERC) into useful products, such as formic acid and carbon monoxide, is a fascinating approach for CO₂ fixation as well as energy storage. Sn-based materials are attractive catalysts for highly selective ERC into C₁ products (including HCOOH and CO), but still suffer from high overpotential, low current density, and poor stability. Here, One-dimensional (1D) SnO₂ with wire-in-tube (WIT) structure is synthesized and shows superior selectivity for C₁ products. Using the WIT SnO₂ as the ERC catalyst, very high Faradaic efficiency of C₁ products (>90%) can be achieved at a wide potential range from ?0.89 to ?1.29?V versus RHE, thus substantially suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction. The electrocatalyst also exhibits excellent long-term stability. The improved catalytic activity of the WIT SnO₂ over the commercial SnO₂ nanoparticle indicates that higher surface area and large number of grain boundaries can effectively enhance the ERC activity. Synthesized via a facile and low-cost electrospinning technology, the reduced WIT SnO₂ can serve as a promising electrocatalyst for efficient CO₂ to C₁ products conversion.