Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with H2O over modified TiO2 nanofibers: Understanding the reduction pathway

Anjana Sarkar, Eduardo Gracia-Espino, Thomas Wågberg, Andrey Shchukarev, Melinda Mohl, Anne-Riikka Rautio, Olli Pitkänen, Tiva Sharifi, Krisztian Kordas, Jyri-Pekka Mikkola

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Nanosized metal (Pt or Pd)-decorated TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) were synthesized by a wet impregnation method. CdSe quantum dots (QDs) were then anchored onto the metal-decorated TiO2 NFs. The photocatalytic performance of these catalysts was tested for activation and reduction of CO2 under UV-B light. Gas chromatographic analysis indicated the formation of methanol, formic acid, and methyl formate as the primary products. In the absence of CdSe QDs, Pd-decorated TiO2 NFs were found to exhibit enhanced performance compared to Pt-decorated TiO2 NFs for methanol production. However, in the presence of CdSe, Pt-decorated TiO2 NFs exhibited higher selectivity for methanol, typically producing ∼90 ppmg−1·h−1 methanol. The CO2 photoreduction mechanism is proposed to take place via a hydrogenation pathway from first principles calculations, which complement the experimental observations.

Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Pages (from-to)1956–1968
JournalNano Research
Volume9
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • engineering education

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