Photocatalytic Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis on Graphene-Supported Worm-Like Ruthenium Nanostructures

Abstract

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen to liquid fuels and chemicals and is usually operated under high temperature ranges, which results in an evident increase of energy consumption and CO2 emission. A photocatalytic FTS route was proposed to efficiently harvest solar energy. Worm-like ruthenium nanostructures dispersed on graphene sheets can effectively catalyze FTS at mild conditions (150 °C, 2.0 MPa H2, and 1.0 MPa CO) under irradiation of visible light and achieve a catalytic activity as high as 14.4 molCO·molRu–1·h–1. The reaction rate of FTS can be enhanced by increasing the irradiation intensity or decreasing the irradiation wavelength. The work provides a green and efficient photocatalytic route for FTS.