Intricate behaviors of gas phase CO2 photoreduction in high vacuum using Cu2O-loaded TiO2 nanotube arrays

Photoreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) in gas phase was investigated over composites of Cu2O nanoparticles (CNPs) and anodized TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs). CNPs with an average size of 90 nm were pulse-electrodeposited on vertically aligned hollow TiO2 nanotubes having average pore size of 90 nm. Radical trapping experiments with electron spin resonance spectroscopy suggest that photoinduced charge separation occurs via direct Z-scheme mechanism in Cu2O-loaded TNA (CNP/TNA) sample. Successively, CO2 photoreduction for CNP/TNA from water/CO2 mixture was monitored using a quadrupole mass analyzer in high vacuum, where the partial pressures of intermediate and final reaction species were measured in real time under ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) light irradiation (300-600 nm). The photoreduction of CO2 on CNP/TNA happens through preferred generation of formaldehyde (HCHO) and methanol (CH3OH), while platinum-loaded TNA (Pt/ TNA) produced methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H-2) instead of HCHO and CH3OH. Carbon monoxide (CO) formation was commonly observed for both CNP/TNA and Pt/TNA specimens. These results reveal that CO2 photoreduction occurs through hydrogenation in gas phase over CNP/TNA even in high vacuum, although CO2 deoxygenation to CH4 is conventionally dominant for gas phase reactions.

Automated summary

This study investigated the photoreduction of carbon dioxide in gas phase using composites of Cu2O nanoparticles and anodized TiO2 nanotube arrays. The results suggest that the photoreduction occurs through hydrogenation, producing formaldehyde and methanol as intermediate products.