New Carbon Nanodots‐Silica Hybrid Photocatalyst for Highly Selective Solar Fuel Production from CO2

Abstract

AbstractPhotocatalytic CO2 reduction for solar fuel production has attracted considerable attention as it can simultaneously reduce the effects of worldwide fossil‐fuel shortage and global warming. As a means to achieve this we herein report the facile and eco‐friendly synthesis of highly active carbon nanodots‐silica hybrid photocatalyst (CNDSH) by a reverse microemulsion method with a nonionic surfactant. The photocatalyst‐biocatalyst coupled system developed using CNDSH as photocatalyst functions efficiently to carry out high NADH regeneration (74.10±0.17 %) followed by its consumption in exclusive formic acid production (203.33±1.9 μmol) from CO2. This research work is a benchmark example of carbon nanodots‐silica hybrid photocatalyst system for solar fuel production and expected to trigger further interest in the development of efficient and eco‐friendly CO2 reduction systems.