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Open Access Research Article Issue
Crystalline/amorphous Bi-BiNiOx electrocatalyst enables efficient concurrent formate production from CO2 and methanol
Nano Research 2025, 18(11): 94908017
Published: 21 October 2025
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Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to formate presents a technoeconomic route for CO2 utilization under mild conditions, yet practical implementation is constrained by the high energy consumption (> 90% of total input) of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Replacement of OER by partial methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) could lead to simultaneous formate production at both electrodes and remarkably reduce the overall energy consumption. Herein, we designed a two-electrode system featuring a nickel foam-supported crystalline/amorphous bismuth-bismuth nickel oxide composite cathode (Bi-BiNiOx/NF) and a β-Ni(OH)2 anode, achieving excellent formate production behavior. The crystalline/amorphous Bi-BiNiOx/NF cathode delivers exceptional CO2RR performance, achieving 98.9% formate Faradaic efficiency (FEformate) at −0.90 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and maintaining > 90.7% FEformate over 72 h continuous operation—attributed to its Bi-Ni bimetallic synergy and crystalline/amorphous heterostructure that enhance active site exposure and reaction kinetics. The integrated CO2RR||MOR system operates stably for 90 h at 2.2 V and 10 mA·cm−2, sustaining > 90% FEformate at both electrodes with a cell voltage (1.760 V) significantly lower than conventional CO2RR||OER systems (1.953 V). This work demonstrates efficient concurrent formate electrosynthesis and establishes an energy-efficient paradigm for electrocatalytic CO2 valorization through synergistic catalyst design and reaction pathway integration.

Review Article Issue
Defect-rich MoS2 nanowall catalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction
Nano Research 2017, 10(4): 1178-1188
Published: 07 March 2017
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Downloads:110

Designing efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted substantial attention owing to the urgent demand for clean energy to face the energy crisis and subsequent environmental issues in the near future. Among the large variety of HER catalysts, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been regarded as the most famous catalyst owing to its abundance, low price, high efficiency, and definite catalytic mechanism. In this study, defect-engineered MoS2 nanowall (NW) catalysts with controllable thickness were fabricated and exhibited a significantly enhanced HER performance. Benefiting from the highly exposed active edge sites and the rough surface accompanied by the robust NW structure, the defect-rich MoS2 NW catalyst with an optimized thickness showed an ultralow onset overpotential of 85 mV, a high current density of 310.6 mA·cm-2 at η = 300 mV, and a low potential of 95 mV to drive a 10 mA·cm-2 cathodic current. Additionally, excellent electrochemical stability was realized, making this freestanding NW catalyst a promising candidate for practical water splitting and hydrogen production.

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