Highly efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction by a ruthenium complex sensitizing g-C3N4/MOF hybrid photocatalyst

he photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO is considered one of the potential methods to meet the increasing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. However, some issues, such as light harvesting, recombination of the electron-hole pairs, and catalytic selectivity, limit the photocatalytic performances. In this study, a ruthenium complex RuL2L ' (L = bpy, L ' = dcbpy) sensitizing g-C3N4/MOF hybrid (RuL2L '@C3N4/MOF) was exploited for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO. The synergies between components have greatly improved photocatalytic performances. Within 3 h of irradiation, 4688 mu mol g(-1) of CO and 727 mu mol g(-1) of H-2 were detected, and the selectivity of CO was up to 86.6%. This meaningful study provides a new opportunity for developing efficient photocatalysts.

Automated summary

The study successfully used RuL2L'@C3N4/MOF material for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO, with a product selectivity of up to 86.6%, demonstrating that the synergies between components can significantly improve photocatalytic performance.