Localized surface plasmon resonance effect enhanced Cu/TiO ₂ core–shell catalyst for boosting CO ₂ hydrogenation reaction

Abstract

Inexpensive and nontoxic Cu/TiO ₂ catalysts based on the LSPR effect for boosting the CO ₂ hydrogenation reaction.

Abstract

Photothermal catalysis is a promising strategy for converting CO ₂ into high value-added chemical feedstocks. Its current major challenges lie in improving CO ₂ conversion efficiency and product selectivity. In this work, a series of Cu/TiO ₂ core–shell catalysts were prepared using the hard template method. The Cu ₁₀/TiO ₂ catalyst exhibited excellent performance for the photothermal conversion of CO ₂ to CO in the presence of H ₂ under Xe lamp irradiation (CO ₂ conversion, 30.6%; CO selectivity, ∼100%; CO maximum yield, 87.1 mmol h ⁻¹ g _cat ⁻¹). Results indicated that the Cu/TiO ₂ catalyst has a good photo-to-thermal conversion ability based on the significant LSPR effect, and the existence of hot electrons makes the reaction follow the carbonate pathway efficiently. This article successfully achieves efficient CO ₂ reduction under inexpensive and non-toxic conditions. In addition, it also provides unique insights into the study of the LSPR effect in the field of photothermal catalysis.