@article{Yue2026, 
author = {Xian Yue and Hanyu Zou and Fuzhi Li and Xiangyang Zhang and Xianbo Yu and Yuqian Di and Hu Chen and Wei Han and Shuao Xie and Xiaoxue Xi and Lu Liu and Zhongbo Hu and Huaxin Li and Junhui Xiang},
title = {CO2-to-formate electrocatalysis in Bi-carbon fiber aerogels via coupled structural and electronic effects},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {5},
pages = {94908515},
keywords = {electrochemical CO2 reduction, formate, carbon fiber aerogels, Bi nanoparticles},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94908515},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94908515},
abstract = {The electrochemical CO2 reduction to formate represents a promising route for carbon neutrality. However, current bismuth (Bi)-based catalysts suffer from limited active site exposure, poor charge transfer kinetics, and rapid performance degradation. Herein, we report a three-dimensional (3D) carbon fiber aerogels (CFAs) with a porous network architecture supporting well-distributed Bi nanoparticles (BiNPs) that synergistically address these challenges via geometrical structure and interfacial electronic modulation. The 3D porous network of the catalyst offers a high specific surface area of 534.39 m2·g−1, promoting CO2 adsorption and efficient charge transport. Electrochemical characterization reveals that the 0.02 M BiNPs@CFAs catalyst achieves a Faradaic efficiency of formate (FEformate) of 96.73% ± 1.45% at −1.0 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), while sustaining a high partial current density of −221.7 mA∙cm−2 in the flow-cell operation. After continuous operation for 72 h, the FEformate values remained above 90.6%. In-situ electrochemical Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and the density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that Bi active sites effectively stabilize the  *OCHO intermediate, a key step in formate formation. This work establishes new ideas for designing efficient and stable electrocatalysts through synergistic structural and electronic modulation by metal nanoparticles and aerogel architectures.}
}