Publication date: 22nd July 2026
Advancing the electrochemical conversion of CO2 into value-added chemicals like formic acid requires continuous innovation in both material science and reactor engineering. While traditional systems operating in neutral or alkaline media suffer from severe carbonate formation and poor carbon utilization efficiency, transitioning to acidic media introduces the challenge of competing hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). This presentation highlights recent advances in overcoming these barriers through the synergistic integration of bimetallic catalyst development and engineered reactor architectures.
At the materials level, a carbon-free eutectic Bi-Sn (Bi0.58Sn0.42) gas-diffusion electrode (GDE) was developed to steer selectivity in acidic conditions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental evaluations demonstrate that the unique Bi-Sn interfacial synergy weakens hydrogen adsorption while stabilizing formate intermediates. This innovation effectively suppresses HER, enabling the GDE to achieve a faradaic efficiency (FE) of 81.3% toward formic acid at a current density of -100 mA cm⁻² in a pH 3 electrolyte.
In a separate process-oriented approach, a continuous three-compartment electrolyser was engineered and operated. By using an extra compartment with ion-exchange resins between the electrodes, the reactor allows only pure aqueous formic acid to be collected directly at the outlet without contamination from supporting electrolyte ions. This design eliminates the need for downstream ion-separation steps while maintaining stable ionic transport. The optimized system significantly reduces ohmic resistance, achieving cell voltages of ~3.5 V, and enables the direct generation of highly concentrated formic acid up to >85 g L⁻¹.
By bridging fundamental electrocatalytic innovations with process-level reactor design, these advances provide a highly efficient, scalable platform for continuous CO2 conversion, directly contributing to the next generation of sustainable chemical manufacturing.
This work was funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) grant agreement No 101072830 (ECOMATES).
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