Elemental Boron for Efficient Carbon Dioxide Reduction under Light Irradiation.
The photoreduction of CO2is attractive for the production of renewable fuels and the mitigation of global warming. Herein, we report an efficient method for CO2reduction over elemental boron catalysts in the presence of only water and light irradiation through a photothermocatalytic process. Owing to its high solar-light absorption and effective photothermal conversion, the illuminated boron catalyst experiences remarkable self-heating. This process favors CO2activation and also induces localized boron hydrolysis to in situ produce H2as an active proton source and electron donor for CO2reduction as well as boron oxides as promoters of CO2adsorption. These synergistic effects, in combination with the unique catalytic properties of boron, are proposed to account for the efficiency of the CO2reduction. This study highlights the promise of photothermocatalytic strategies for CO2conversion and also opens new avenues towards the development of related solar-energy utilization schemes.
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.
Guigao
0000-0002-0018-1249
G
Liu
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.
Xianguang
X
Meng
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.
Huabin
H
Zhang
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.
Guixia
G
Zhao
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.|Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0814, Japan.
Hong
H
Pang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Materials and Technology for Energy Conversion, College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, P.R. China.
Tao
T
Wang
TU-NIMS International Collaboration Laboratory, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, P.R. China.
Peng
P
Li
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.
Tetsuya
T
Kako
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.|Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0814, Japan.|TU-NIMS International Collaboration Laboratory, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, P.R. China.
Jinhua
0000-0002-8105-8903
J
Ye
CO2 photoreduction; boron materials; energy conversion; heterogeneous catalysis; photothermocatalysis