Photothermal-enabled single-atom catalysts for high-efficiency hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis from natural seawater.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37120639.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-38211-3 and PMC identifier 10148870.
- 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
Hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) is a powerful industrial oxidant and potential carbon-neutral liquid energy carrier. Sunlight-driven synthesis of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> from the most earth-abundant O<sub>2</sub> and seawater is highly desirable. However, the solar-to-chemical efficiency of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> synthesis in particulate photocatalysis systems is low. Here, we present a cooperative sunlight-driven photothermal-photocatalytic system based on cobalt single-atom supported on sulfur doped graphitic carbon nitride/reduced graphene oxide heterostructure (Co-CN@G) to boost H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photosynthesis from natural seawater. By virtue of the photothermal effect and synergy between Co single atoms and the heterostructure, Co-CN@G enables a solar-to-chemical efficiency of more than 0.7% under simulated sunlight irradiation. Theoretical calculations verify that the single atoms combined with heterostructure significantly promote the charge separation, facilitate O<sub>2</sub> absorption and reduce the energy barriers for O<sub>2</sub> reduction and water oxidation, eventually boosting H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photoproduction. The single-atom photothermal-photocatalytic materials may provide possibility of large-scale H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production from inexhaustible seawater in a sustainable way.