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Operando structural evolution of octahedral SnS2/SnO2 heterojunctions enabling efficient CO2-to-formate conversion over a broad potential window
Nano Research 2026, 19(1): 94907848
Published: 26 December 2025
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Heterostructure engineering has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) by optimizing interfacial electron transfer. Herein, we report a novel octahedral SnS2/SnO2 heterojunction catalyst synthesized via an ion-exchange vulcanization method, which achieves exceptional activity and selectivity for CO2-to-formate conversion. Through in-situ Raman spectroscopy, ex-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we demonstrate that the octahedral SnS2/SnO2 heterojunction dynamically restructures into a sulfur-doped Sn/SnO2 (Sn(S)/SnO2) heterostructure under operating conditions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the Sn(S)/SnO2 interface facilitates electron transfer from SnO2 to metallic Sn(S), generating a built-in electric field that stabilizes Sn4+ in SnO2 and accelerates proton-coupled electron transfer to *OCHO intermediates. Consequently, the catalyst achieves a formate Faradaic efficiency exceeding 90% over a broad potential window (−0.6 to −1.0 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) with a high partial current density of −280 mA·cm−2, surpassing most reported Sn-based catalysts. This work elucidates the structural dynamics and interfacial enhancement mechanisms of heterojunction catalysts, offering a rational design principle for advanced CO2RR electrocatalysts.

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