Dynamic Evolution of Atomically Dispersed Cu Species for CO2 Photoreduction to Solar Fuels

An oriented built-in electric field induced by cobalt surface gradient diffused doping in MgIn2S4 for enhanced photocatalytic CH4 evolution

Co gradient doping in MgIn₂S₄ creates an oriented built-in electric field for efficiently extracting carriers from the inside to the surface.

Semiconductor nanocrystals for small molecule activation via artificial photosynthesis

The protocol of artificial photosynthesis using semiconductor nanocrystals shines light on green, facile and low-cost small molecule activation to produce solar fuels and value-added chemicals.

Preparation of a Series of Pd@UIO-66 by a Double-Solvent Method and Its Catalytic Performance for Toluene Oxidation

This paper reports on the preparation, characterization, and catalytic properties of the Pd@UIO-66 for toluene oxidation. The samples are prepared by the double-solvent method to form catalysts with large specific surface area, highly dispersed Pd⁰ (Elemental palladium) and abundant adsorbed oxygen, which are characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The results show that as the Pd content increases, the adsorbed oxygen content further increases, but at the same time Pd⁰ will agglomerate and lose some active sites, which will affect its catalytic performance. While 0.2%Pd@UIO-66 has the highest concentration of Pd⁰, the result shows it has the best catalytic activity and the T₉₀ temperature is 210 °C.

InVO4/β-AgVO3 Nanocomposite as a Direct Z-Scheme Photocatalyst toward Efficient and Selective Visible-Light-Driven CO2 Reduction

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to solar fuel is a promising route to alleviate the ever-growing energy crisis and global warming. Herein, to enhance photoconversion efficiency of CO₂ reduction, a series of direct Z-scheme composites consisting of β-AgVO₃ nanoribbons and InVO₄ nanoparticles (InVO₄/β-AgVO₃) are prepared via a facile hydrothermal method and subsequent in situ growth process. The prepared InVO₄/β-AgVO₃ composites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity for reduction of CO₂ to CO under visible-light illumination. A CO evolution rate of 12.61 μmol·g^-1·h^-1 is achieved over the optimized 20% In-Ag without any cocatalyst or sacrificial agent, which is 11 times larger than that yielded by pure InVO₄ (1.12 μmol·g^-1·h^-1). Moreover, the CO selectivity is more than 93% over H₂ production from the side reaction of H₂O reduction. Significantly, based on the results of electron spin resonance (ESR) and in situ irradiated XPS tests, it is proposed that the synthesized InVO₄/β-AgVO₃ catalysts comply with the direct Z-scheme transfer mechanism. Significantly improved photocatalytic activities for selective CO₂ reduction could be primarily ascribed to effective separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs and enhanced reducibility of photoelectrons at the conduction band of InVO₄. This work provides a new insight for constructing highly efficient photocatalytic CO₂ reduction systems toward solar fuel generation.

Isolated Square-Planar Copper Center in Boron Imidazolate Nanocages for Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to CO

Photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to value-added fuel has been considered to be a promising strategy to reduce global warming and shortage of energy. Rational design and synthesis of catalysts to maximumly expose the active sites is the key to activate CO₂ molecules and determine the reaction selectivity. Herein, we synthesize a well-defined copper-based boron imidazolate cage (BIF-29) with six exposed mononuclear copper centers for the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ . Theoretical calculations show a single Cu site including weak coordinated water delivers a new state in the conduction band near the Fermi level and stabilizes the *COOH intermediate. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectra show these Cu sites promote the separation of electron-hole pairs and electron transfer. As a result, the cage achieves solar-driven reduction of CO₂ to CO with an evolution rate of 3334 μmol g^-1  h^-1 and a high selectivity of 82.6 %.