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

Summary CO 2 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 x Cd 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, Pb 3 Cd 1 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 Pb 3 Cd 1 can be attributed to the huge specific area of NPs and the synergistic effect of the components. This study shows that efficient bimetallic Pb x Cd y electrocatalysts have a large application potential for highly selective HCOOH production from CO 2 . Highlights Bimetallic PbCd nanoparticles were synthesized by facile chemical reduction for electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction. PbCd nanocatalysts performed well in highly active, selective, and stable HCOOH electrosynthesis from aqueous CO 2 . Pb 3 Cd 1 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.