Photothermal CO<sub>2</sub> conversion to ethanol through photothermal heterojunction-nanosheet arrays.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38965244.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-49928-0 and PMC identifier 11224241.
- 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
Photothermal CO<sub>2</sub> conversion to ethanol offers a sustainable solution for achieving net-zero carbon management. However, serious carrier recombination and high C-C coupling energy barrier cause poor performance in ethanol generation. Here, we report a Cu/Cu<sub>2</sub>Se-Cu<sub>2</sub>O heterojunction-nanosheet array, showcasing a good ethanol yield under visible-near-infrared light without external heating. The Z-scheme Cu<sub>2</sub>Se-Cu<sub>2</sub>O heterostructure provides spatially separated sites for CO<sub>2</sub> reduction and water oxidation with boosted carrier transport efficiency. The microreactors induced by Cu<sub>2</sub>Se nanosheets improve the local concentration of intermediates (CH<sub>3</sub>* and CO*), thereby promoting C-C coupling process. Photothermal effect of Cu<sub>2</sub>Se nanosheets elevates system's temperature to around 200 <sup>°</sup>C. Through synergizing electron and heat flows, we achieve an ethanol generation rate of 149.45 µmol g<sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup>, with an electron selectivity of 48.75% and an apparent quantum yield of 0.286%. Our work can serve as inspiration for developing photothermal catalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> conversion into multi-carbon chemicals using solar energy.