Elemental Boron for Efficient Carbon Dioxide Reduction under Light Irradiation

Abstract

The photoreduction of CO is attractive for the production of renewable fuels and the mitigation of global warming. Herein, we report an efficient method for CO reduction 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 CO activation and also induces localized boron hydrolysis to in situ produce H as an active proton source and electron donor for CO reduction as well as boron oxides as promoters of CO adsorption. These synergistic effects, in combination with the unique catalytic properties of boron, are proposed to account for the efficiency of the CO reduction. This study highlights the promise of photothermocatalytic strategies for CO conversion and also opens new avenues towards the development of related solar-energy utilization schemes.

Green Synthesis of Lamellae Rhombohedra Boron Suboxide for Efficient Photoreduction Catalysis with Visible Light Response

“…Therefore, it can be seen that the rate of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction significantly decreased after 6 h illumination. Similar phenomena were also observed in the previous report adopting amorphous B for photocatalytic CO 2 reduction …”

Photoassisted Construction of Holey Defective g‐C3N4 Photocatalysts for Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven H2O2 Production

“…The recently emerged rapid heating of materials by photon energy inspired us to seek new methods for preparing modified g‐C 3 N 4 . In this work, we describe a novel one‐step photoassisted route to prepare holey DCN by using hydrazine as a reducing agent ( Figure a).…”

Recent Progress in Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction Over Perovskite Oxides

“…This approach is especially important for photocatalysts synthesized from carbon containing precursors . In situ FTIR is a powerful tool for monitoring reactant adsorption and intermediate formation for many photocatalytic reactions including CO 2 reduction, CO hydrogenation, and ethanol oxidation . Detailed analysis about the effects of surface oxygen vacancies and metal active sites of perovskite oxides to the photocatalytic CO 2 reduction will be discussed in the following section.…”