Direct functionalization of methane into ethanol over copper modified polymeric carbon nitride via photocatalysis.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30705278.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-08454-0 and PMC identifier 6355835.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Direct valorization of methane to its alcohol derivative remains a great challenge. Photocatalysis arises as a promising green strategy which could exploit hydroxyl radical (·OH) to accomplish methane activation. However, both the excessive ·OH from direct H<sub>2</sub>O oxidation and the neglect of methane activation on the material would cause deep mineralization. Here we introduce Cu species into polymeric carbon nitride (PCN), accomplishing photocatalytic anaerobic methane conversion for the first time with an ethanol productivity of 106 μmol g<sub>cat</sub><sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup>. Cu modified PCN could manage generation and in situ decomposition of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> to produce ·OH, of which Cu species are also active sites for methane adsorption and activation. These features avoid excess ·OH for overoxidation and facilitate methane conversion. Moreover, a hypothetic mechanism through a methane-methanol-ethanol pathway is proposed, emphasizing the synergy of Cu species and the adjacent C atom in PCN for obtaining C<sub>2</sub> product.