On July 22nd, Sun Yongfu and Xie Yi from the University of Science and Technology of China published in the Nature Journal of Nature Energy (IF=54) entitled: Selective visible-light-driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CH4 mediated by atomically thin CuIn5S8 layers research paper.
The research developed a thin CuIn5S8 catalyst with a single atomic layer. The photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to methane (natural gas/CH4) was successfully carried out by selective visible light driving, and the product product singularity was close to 100%.
CO2 photoreduction typically produces large amounts of by-products, so a major challenge for CO2 photoreduction is to achieve selectivity to a single product while maintaining high conversion efficiencies. Therefore, it is important to control the reaction intermediate formed on the surface of the catalyst by careful catalyst design.
In this study, the researchers designed a thin CuIn5S8 layer with a single atomic layer containing a charge-rich Cu-In dual site, which is highly efficient for the production of methane (CH4) from carbon dioxide (CO2) photocatalytic reduction. Selectivity. Because the Cu-In double site forms a highly stable Cu-C-O-In intermediate is a key feature that determines selectivity.
The selectivity of the monoatomic layer CuIn5S8 for the reduction of visible light-driven CO2 to CH4 is close to 100%, and the rate reaches 8.7 μmol/g/h.
When this technology matures, it will find new solutions for energy conservation and emission reduction, mitigating global warming, and reducing human dependence on fossil energy.
