Molecular-level insight into photocatalytic CO2 reduction with H2O over Au nanoparticles by interband transitions.
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ABSTRACT: Achieving CO2 reduction with H2O on metal photocatalysts and understanding the corresponding mechanisms at the molecular level are challenging. Herein, we report that quantum-sized Au nanoparticles can photocatalytically reduce CO2 to CO with the help of H2O by electron-hole pairs mainly originating from interband transitions. Notably, the Au photocatalyst shows a CO production rate of 4.73 mmol g-1 h-1 (~100% selectivity), ~2.5 times the rate during CO2 reduction with H2 under the same experimental conditions, under low-intensity irradiation at 420 nm. Theoretical and experimental studies reveal that the increased activity is induced by surface Au-O species formed from H2O decomposition, which synchronously optimizes the rate-determining steps in the CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation reactions, lowers the energy barriers for the *CO desorption and *OOH formation, and facilitates CO and O2 production. Our findings provide an in-depth mechanistic understanding for designing active metal photocatalysts for efficient CO2 reduction with H2O.
SUBMITTER: Shangguan W
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9259601 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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