Efficient solar-driven: Photothermal catalytic reduction of atmospheric CO2 at the gas-solid interface by CuTCPP/MXene/TiO2

Abstract

Directly capturing atmospheric CO2 and converting it into valuable fuel through photothermal synergy is an effective way to mitigate the greenhouse effect. This study developed a gas–solid interface photothermal catalytic system for atmospheric CO2 reduction, utilizing the innovative photothermal catalyst (Cu porphyrin) CuTCPP/MXene/TiO2. The catalyst demonstrated a photothermal catalytic performance of 124 μmol·g−1·h−1 for CO and 106 μmol·g−1·h−1 for CH4, significantly outperforming individual components. Density functional theory (DFT) results indicate that the enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the internal electric field between the components, which significantly enhances carrier utilization. The introduction of CuTCPP reduces free energy of the photothermal catalytic reaction. Additionally, the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect and high-speed electron transfer properties of MXene further boost the catalytic reaction rate. This well-designed catalyst and catalytic system offer a simple method for capturing atmospheric CO2 and converting it in-situ through photothermal catalysis.