Ag@imidazolium functionalized polymeric yolk–shell hybrid nanoparticles for economical CO2 photoreduction

Abstract

Inspired by green plant photosynthesis, the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into hydrocarbons is a promising approach to solve the environmental problem of excess CO₂ in the atmosphere. In addition to catalyst innovation, it is also necessary to develop a material combining multiple factors for economical CO₂ reduction. Herein, we design Ag@P(IVBC-co-DVB) yolk–shell nanoparticles (AIDNPs) that possess an Ag core and an imidazolium functionalized polymeric shell. The Ag nanoparticles transform excellent visible light absorption into hot electron/hole pairs via surface plasmon resonance, pairs which are directly shifted to the adsorbed CO₂ on the polymeric shell owing to the suitable core-to-shell diffusion distance of the material. As a result, CO₂ is photoreduced to HCOOH with a competitive efficiency of 396 μmol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ in the absence of a photosensitizer or a sacrificial reducing agent. The investigation of the factors related to the photocatalytic CO₂ production efficiency and the investigation of the photoelectric properties, as well as the proposed possible reduction mechanism provide a comprehensive model for efficient and economic CO₂ photoreduction.