title: Highly efficient and autocatalytic H2₂ dissociation for CO₂ reduction into formic acid with zinc.
abstract: Artificial photosynthesis, specifically H2O dissociation for CO2 reduction with solar energy, is regarded as one of the most promising methods for sustainable energy and utilisation of environmental resources. However, a highly efficient conversion still remains extremely challenging. The hydrogenation of CO2 is regarded as the most commercially feasible method, but this method requires either exotic catalysts or high-purity hydrogen and hydrogen storage, which are regarded as an energy-intensive process. Here we report a highly efficient method of H2O dissociation for reducing CO2 into chemicals with Zn powder that produces formic acid with a high yield of approximately 80%, and this reaction is revealed for the first time as an autocatalytic process in which an active intermediate, ZnH(-) complex, serves as the active hydrogen. The proposed process can assist in developing a new concept for improving artificial photosynthetic efficiency by coupling geochemistry, specifically the metal-based reduction of H2O and CO2, with solar-driven thermochemistry for reducing metal oxide into metal.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Fangming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping RD, Shanghai, 200092, China.
authors.forename: Jianke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping RD, Shanghai, 200092, China.
authors.forename: Yujia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Lunying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 153-8904 Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Guodong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Zhibao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huo