A facile synthesis of CuFeO2 and CuO composite photocatalyst films for the production of liquid formate from CO2 and water over a month

作者：Kang Unseock; Park Hyunwoong

来源：Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2017, 5(5): 2123-2131.

DOI：10.1039/c6ta09378g

The development of low-cost photocatalysts capable of selectively producing liquid chemicals from CO2 and water with efficiency and durability comparable to typical photosynthetic values remains a great challenge. Herein, we report a facile, environmentally benign synthesis of CuFeO2 and CuO binary films by electrodeposition, and demonstrate that these binary films produce only liquid formate from aqueous CO2 at similar to 1% energy efficiency, while driving O-2 evolution from water on a wired Pt plate under continuous irradiation of simulated sunlight (AM 1.5G; 100 mW cm(-2)) over 24 h. The formate production is confirmed by quantitative analysis of (HCO2-)-C-13 produced from (CO2)-C-13. A time-resolved photoluminescence study reveals the sub-nanosecond charge transfer in binary CuFeO2 and CuO films, wherein the aqueous CO2 is adsorbed. An as-synthesized photocatalyst film with a three dimensional, double layer configuration shows the continued production of formate for over 17 d. However, the crystalline structure and elemental state of the used photocatalysts undergo gradual chemical reduction. Such a deformation can be thermally healed by recycling the weekly used samples via oxidative annealing. Thus, a single photocatalyst sample produces formate continuously for 35 d.

• 出版日期2017