Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into valuable chemicals or fuels is considered a promising solution to mitigate the energy crisis. In this work, efficient CO2 to CO conversion was achieved, accompanied… Click to show full abstract
Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into valuable chemicals or fuels is considered a promising solution to mitigate the energy crisis. In this work, efficient CO2 to CO conversion was achieved, accompanied by a class of trinuclear Fe clusters as photocatalysts. Under optimal conditions, the highest catalytic rate could be up to 140.9 μmol/h in 6 h with the assistance of photosensitizers (PS). The trinuclear Fe Clusters can be used as secondary building units to construct Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). However, the catalytic activity of Fe-based MOFs is weaker than that of clusters in both the cases of extra PS-assisted MOFs and integrated PS into MOFs. The simpler synthesis, lower cost, and higher catalytic activity make the Fe clusters a better catalyst. Additionally, steady-state fluorescence tests confirmed the transfer of photogenerated electrons from PS to the clusters during the photocatalytic reaction.
               
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