Molecular-level insight into photocatalytic CO₂ reduction with H₂O over Au nanoparticles by interband transitions.

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, whi

SUBMITTER: Shangguan W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9259601 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature