Well-dispersed SnO2 nanocrystals on N-doped carbon nanowires as efficient electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction

The conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable organic compounds is a highly promising approach to address the energy issues and environmental problems(e.g., global warming). Herein, we presents a facile and efficient method to prepare highly dense and well-dispersed SnO2 nanocrystals on 1 D N-doped carbon nanowires as advanced catalysts for the efficient electroreduction of CO2 to formate. The ultrasmall SnO2 coated on the N-doped carbon nanowires(SnO2@N-CNW) has been synthesized via the simple hydrothermal treatment coupled with a pyrolysis process. The unique structure enables to expose the active tin oxide and also provides the facile pathways for rapid transfer of electron and electrolyte along with the highly porous carbon foam composed with interconnected carbon nanowires. Therefore, SnO2@NCNW electrocatalyst exhibits good durability and high selectivity for formate formation with a Faradaic efficiency of ca. 90%. This work demonstrates a simple method to rationally design high-dense tin oxide nanocrystals on the conductive carbon support as advanced catalysts for CO2 electroreduction.