Co3 O4 Hexagonal Platelets with Controllable Facets Enabling Highly Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2

Adv Mater. 2016 Aug;28(30):6485-90. doi: 10.1002/adma.201601387. Epub 2016 May 12.

Abstract

A heterogeneous catalyst made of well-defined Co3 O4 hexagonal platelets with varied exposed facets is coupled with [Ru(bpy)3 ]Cl2 photosensitizers to effectively and efficiently reduce CO2 under visible-light irradiation. Systematic investigation based on both experiment and theory discloses that the exposed {112} facets are crucial for activating CO2 molecules, giving rise to significant enhancement of photocatalytic CO2 reduction efficiency.

Keywords: CO2 reduction; cobalt oxide; heterogeneous catalysis; photocatalysis; solar fuel.