A highly selective and durable electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion to formate is developed, consisting of tin (Sn) nanosheets decorated with bismuth (Bi) nanoparticles. Owing to the formation of active sites through favorable orbital interactions at the Sn‐Bi interface, the Bi‐Sn bimetallic catalyst converts CO2 to formate with a remarkably high Faradaic efficiency (96%) and production rate (0.74 mmol h−1 cm−2) at −1.1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Additionally, the catalyst maintains its initial efficiency over an unprecedented 100 h of operation. Density functional theory reveals that the addition of Bi nanoparticles upshifts the electron states of Sn away from the Fermi level, allowing the HCOO* intermediate to favorably adsorb onto the Bi‐Sn interface compared to a pure Sn surface. This effectively facilitates the flow of electrons to promote selective and durable conversion of CO2 to formate. This study provides sub‐atomic level insights and a general methodology for bimetallic catalyst developments and surface engineering for highly selective CO2 electroreduction.
The theoretical yield of charcoal from biomass lies in the range
50−80% on a dry weight basis.
In spite of the fact that mankind has been manufacturing charcoal
for about 6000 years, traditional
methods for charcoal production in developing countries realize yields
of 20% or less, and modern
industrial technology offers yields of only 25−37%. Moreover,
reaction times for the batch process
in an industrial kiln are typically 8 days. In this article we
describe a practical method for
manufacturing high-quality charcoal from biomass that realizes
near-theoretical yields of 42−62% with a reaction time of about 15 min to 2 h, depending on the
moisture content of the feed.
Because of its high efficiency, this technology can help to reduce
worldwide deforestation and
pollution, while providing greater amounts of a desirable, renewable
fuel and chemical resource
to mankind.
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