Introduction of carbon–boron atomic groups as an efficient strategy to boost formic acid production toward CO2 electrochemical reduction

Introducing C–B diatomic groups in carbon-doped hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) flakes resulted in high activity and selectivity for HCOOH in CO2 electroreduction. The activation of CO2 was prone to occur on B atoms while the activation of the proton occurred on C atoms. The volcano-type relation of Faradaic efficiency for HCOOH production over carbon content originates from the balance of H* and COOH* intermediates in carbon-doped h-BN catalysts.