Issue 31, 2024

Designing atomic Ni/Cu pairs on a reactive BiOCl surface for efficient photo-chemical HCO3-to-CO conversion

Abstract

Solar-driven conversion of bicarbonate (HCO3) to carbonaceous fuels and/or chemicals provides an alternative route for the development of sustainable carbon economies. However, promoting the HCO3 reduction rate and tuning product selectivity remain significant challenges. This study reports the identification of isolated Ni/Cu atomic pairs dispersed on a BiOCl surface (Ni1/Cu1-BOC) as a promising candidate for efficient HCO3 reduction under UV-vis light irradiation. The optimized photocatalyst exhibits a high CO formation rate of 157.1 μmol g−1 h−1 with nearly 100% selectivity, even in the absence of added proton sources, sacrificial agents, or sensitizers. Experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the atomically dispersed Ni/Cu pairs facilitate the protonation of HCO3 to CO2, which then undergoes a H+-assisted reduction pathway to produce CO, with *COOH as the intermediate. The synergistic effects of the Ni/Cu atomic pairs simultaneously promote the HCO3-to-CO2 conversion and the subsequent CO2-to-CO reduction, providing valuable insights for the development of efficient diatomic catalysts for photocatalytic HCO3 reduction reactions.

Graphical abstract: Designing atomic Ni/Cu pairs on a reactive BiOCl surface for efficient photo-chemical HCO3−-to-CO conversion

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Apr 2024
Accepted
03 Jun 2024
First published
03 Jun 2024

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024,12, 19950-19957

Designing atomic Ni/Cu pairs on a reactive BiOCl surface for efficient photo-chemical HCO3-to-CO conversion

D. Ke, B. Sun, Y. Zhang, F. Tian, Y. Chen, Q. Meng, Y. Zhang, Z. Hu, H. Yang, C. Yang, X. Xiong and T. Zhou, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, 12, 19950 DOI: 10.1039/D4TA02199A

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