Modulating Central Metal Ions in Metal-Organic Cages for Enhanced CO2 Photoreduction

Abstract

Metal-organic cages are a class of excellent photocatalysts. In this work, TNC@Co and TNC@Fe were used as model systems to investigate the influence of metal nodes on the photocatalytic reduction of CO2. The catalytic activity of TNC@Co reaches 18.8 mmol g-1 h-1, which is 3.2 times higher than that of TNC@Fe. In situ FTIR spectroscopy revealed that, compared to TNC@Fe, TNC@Co generates and accumulates reaction intermediates more rapidly, thereby significantly enhancing photocatalytic performance. This study provides experimental evidence for the design of highly efficient photocatalytic systems and offers crucial support for advancing CO2 catalytic conversion technologies.