Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 and H2O is an interesting route to produce fuels and chemicals; this process is also known as Artificial Photosynthesis (AP). In last years, extensive efforts have been made to develop efficient catalytic systems capable of harvesting light absorption and reducing CO2 especially when using water as the electron donor. Herein, we report different strategies and modifications of photocatalysts to increase process performance. Among them, an interesting approach to improve charge separation in photocatalytic systems is the use of heterojunctions. In this line, the combination of different semiconductors with noble metal nanoparticles or organic semiconducting polymers leads to a separation of the photogenerated charge carriers to increasing their life time, facilitating charge transfer to adsorbed molecules. The main products, using bare TiO2, were CO and H2, with low concentrations of CH4. The deposition of surface plasmon nanoparticles (SP-NPs) leads to changes in the selectivity to higher electron-demanding products, such as CH4. TAS measurements confirm that this behaviour is due to the electron scavenging ability of SP-NPs [2]. Organo-inorganic hybrid materials show a dramatic reactivity improvement in CO2 photoreduction, enhancing methane selectivity. To explain this behaviour a combination of in-situ NAP-XPS, FTIR, TAS spectroscopies and theoretical tools has been used, showing a more efficient light absorption and charge transfer in the hybrid photocatalyst compared with bare materials.

CO2 photoreduction by artificial photosynthesis using hybrid multifunctional materials

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.