Infrared Photothermal Catalytic Reduction of Atmospheric CO₂ Into CO with 100% Selectivity via Dual‐Plasmon Resonance Conductor

Abstract

AbstractToday, the fabrication of carbon monoxide (CO) in industry customarily necessitates elevated temperature and pressure. Concurrently, the harnessing of infrared (IR) light, which constitutes ≈50% of solar energy, has predominantly remained unexploited due to a pronounced contradiction between the utilization of IR light and CO2 photoreduction. To break the above limitation, a dual‐plasmon resonance conductor with a metallic nature is designed, which realizes the synthesis of CO with 100% selectivity from infrared photothermal catalytic reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Taking the Au particles loaded Cu7Te4 nanowires as an example, the surface dual‐plasmon resonance coupling effect can optimize the three critical processes of CO2 photoreduction, in which it is illustrated that the dual‐plasmon resonance effect lowers the thermodynamic reaction energy barrier, facilitating the selective generation of CO products. Consequently, the Au‐Cu7Te4 nanowires manifest a CO evolution rate of ≈2.7 µmol g−1 h−1 with 100% selectivity for atmospheric CO2 reduction driven by IR light, several times higher than that of the Cu7Te4 nanowires.