Enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction using a trimetallic organic framework as the catalyst under visible light

Abstract

The photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide into high value-added chemical feedstock is significant for mitigation of the energy crisis and the greenhouse effect. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) possess broad application prospects in photocatalytic CO₂ conversion due to the ability to adjust the metal types in metal cluster nodes. Herein, the CO₂ photocatalytic performance of trimetallic Fe_0.02Ni_0.10–Co_x–PCN-250 (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 mol) was investigated by adjusting the content of Co. Notably, the photocatalytic yields of Fe_0.02Ni_0.10–Co_x–PCN-250 (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 mol) were higher than those of bimetallic Fe_0.02Ni_0.10–PCN-250 and Fe_0.02Co_0.10–PCN-250 irradiated by visible light. The optimum yield of CO was obtained by trimetallic Fe_0.02Ni_0.10–Co_0.15–PCN-250, up to 299 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹. The enhanced yield of CO might be ascribed to the high CO₂ adsorption capacity and photogenerated electron transfer after addition of a suitable amount of the third ion, Co. This study provides new insights by designing trimetallic catalysts to increase the efficiency of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction.