Localized surface plasmon resonance effect enhanced Cu/TiO2 core–shell catalyst for boosting CO2 hydrogenation reaction

Abstract

Photothermal catalysis is a promising strategy for converting CO₂ into high value-added chemical feedstocks. Its current major challenges lie in improving CO₂ conversion efficiency and product selectivity. In this work, a series of Cu/TiO₂ core–shell catalysts were prepared using the hard template method. The Cu₁₀/TiO₂ catalyst exhibited excellent performance for the photothermal conversion of CO₂ to CO in the presence of H₂ under Xe lamp irradiation (CO₂ conversion, 30.6%; CO selectivity, ∼100%; CO maximum yield, 87.1 mmol h⁻¹ g_cat⁻¹). Results indicated that the Cu/TiO₂ catalyst has a good photo-to-thermal conversion ability based on the significant LSPR effect, and the existence of hot electrons makes the reaction follow the carbonate pathway efficiently. This article successfully achieves efficient CO₂ reduction under inexpensive and non-toxic conditions. In addition, it also provides unique insights into the study of the LSPR effect in the field of photothermal catalysis.