SKKU team develops nano-defect catalyst that turns CO2 into formate fuel with 96% efficiency

Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University have created a bismuth-based nanosheet catalyst that converts carbon dioxide into formate, a chemical used in hydrogen fuel cells and industry. The catalyst uses cerium to create nano-scale defects that improve reaction speed and product release. In lab tests, it achieved 96.2% Faraday efficiency in standard cells and 96.8% in industrial flow cells. It also ran for 115 hours at high current density without major degradation. This work addresses a key bottleneck in CO2 electroreduction: catalysts often lose efficiency under the high current needed for industrial scale. By engineering oxygen vacancies at the nanoscale, the team improved both activity and stability. The result is a step toward practical CO2-to-fuel systems that could one day use renewable electricity to turn waste emissions into usable chemicals. The research was funded by Korea's National Research Foundation and published in Chemical Engineering Journal. The team plans to develop catalysts for making higher-value multi-carbon compounds next.