Facile synthesis of mesoporous In2O3-CexZr1-xO2 catalysts for efficient CO2 electroreduction to formate

At present, the global community is confronted with critical challenges arising from excessive CO 2 emissions, thereby underscoring the importance of CO 2 conversion and utilization. The electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction (ECR) to formate has attracted considerable attention as an economically viable pathway. However, the current ECR catalyst generally suffers from low catalytic performance and complex preparation processes, necessitating the development of simpler synthesis strategies suitable for practical large-scale applications. In this work, a facile and scalable catalyst preparation method suitable for large-scale production was proposed. Specifically, a series of mesoporous In-CeZr catalysts were prepared through a one-step evaporation-induced self-assembly approach. In addition, as important influence factors for catalysts, the Ce/Zr molar ratios and In 2 O 3 contents are carefully controlled, and the mesoporous structure and existing states of In species are detailedly investigated by different techniques. Among all these catalysts, the 10In-CeZr50 demonstrates excellent activity and stability for CO 2 electroreduction to formate, with a FE formate % as high as 95% and a current density of 130   mA   cm −2 at −1.17   V vs. RHE, and retains its stability even after long time ECR test for 60   h. This work presents a novel catalyst synthesis strategy for ECR to formate production.