Research Highlight

Well-Defined Metal Oxide Nanocatalysts Lead to Selective Photoconversion of Carbon Dioxide into Fuels

Well-defined colloidal zinc oxide-copper(I) oxide hybrid nanocatalysts behaved as photocatalysts for the direct conversion of carbon dioxide to methane in an aqueous medium under ambient pressure and room temperature. The activity was 1080 mmolgcat-1h-1 with a quantum yield of 1.5%, which were two magnitudes superior to any other catalysts under aqueous environments. Moreover, the selectivity to methane approached 100%, meaning that carbon dioxide could be exclusively converted into pure fuels by sunlight....read more