Seven-coordinated BiO7 motif as critical active site in oxidized bismuth for CO2 electroreduction to formate

The Bi O bond is widely regarded as the key motif for CO 2 electroreduction towards formate, but the role of specific Bi O coordination remains unclear. Herein, we study the electrocatalytic behavior of a Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 perovskite containing Bi O 6 and Bi O 7 structures. Under 24-h CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR), Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 reconstructs into Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 while retaining Bi O 7 and maintaining high formate Faradaic efficiency (FE). In contrast, electrochemical measurements and in-situ attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) confirm Bi 2 O 3 lacking Bi O 7 favors hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate Bi O 7 lowers the energy barrier for *OCHO generation, identifying it as the key active site. Using a solid-state electrolyte (SSE) reactor, pure formic acid (0.19 M) is continuously produced with ∼70% FE over 48 h. This work indicates that the coordination environment of Bi O motif displays an essential role in selectivity, and that the Bi O 7 motif might be the critical active site for formate production.