Operando FTIR study of the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 in the presence of water vapor over Pt/TiO2: on the role of surface residual C-species

Benchmark TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts were investigated by performing operando FTIR spectroscopy to shed light on catalytic pathways influencing photoreduction of CO2 in the vapor phase. Through a combination of multivariate curve resolution and chemometric analyses, the carbonaceous surface impurities were identified to be carboxylates, and the mechanisms of their subsequent involvement in surface reactions were demonstrated.

Automated summary

The photoreduction of CO2 in the vapor phase influenced by catalytic pathways of Benchmark TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts was investigated through operando FTIR spectroscopy. The presence of carboxylates as carbonaceous surface impurities was identified, and their involvement in surface reactions was demonstrated.