Facet‐specific Active Surface Regulation of BixMOy (M=Mo, V, W) Nanosheets for Boosted Photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Shaking a photocatalyst boosts its effectiveness

29 April 2023

Merely applying ultrasonic treatment to a catalyst that uses light to reduce carbon dioxide triples its effectiveness.

Some photocatalysts mimic plants in that they use light to convert carbon dioxide into more useful forms of carbon. They are thus promising for capturing carbon from the atmosphere and generating green energy.

Their effectiveness as catalysts can be enhanced by modifying their surfaces, but this proved difficult to achieve in practice.

Now, a team led by researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia has found that modifying the surfaces of nanosheets of a bismuth-based photocatalyst by simply treating them with ultrasonic vibrations can enhance the production of carbon monoxide and methane by a factor of three.

Importantly, the method should be applicable to a wide range of other photocatalysts, the researchers say.

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References

1. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 61, e202212355 (2022). doi: 10.1002/anie.202212355