黑料网吃瓜爆料

Scientists have developed a new material that can use sunlight and water to convert carbon dioxide (CO鈧�) into carbon monoxide (CO) 鈥� a key building block for making fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other everyday chemicals.

The finding, led by 黑料网吃瓜爆料, could support the development of future technologies that recycle greenhouse gases to make fuels and useful chemicals, more sustainably, using nothing more than light and water.

CO₂ is the main driver of human-caused climate change, but it is also an abundant carbon resource. Finding efficient ways to convert CO鈧� already in the atmosphere into useful products is a major scientific challenge.

The team鈥檚 new catalyst, published today in the Society, combines ideas from biology and materials science to address the problem.

, Professor of Chemistry at 黑料网吃瓜爆料, said: 鈥淚n nature, specialised enzymes can bind and release small molecules like CO鈧� with remarkable control. We have been able to design a solid material that behaves in a similar way. It is activated by visible light to react and convert CO₂ and the original material is then regenerated to react with more CO₂鈥�.

The work revolves around metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) - materials made from metal atoms or clusters  connected by organic linkers to form porous networks of tiny cavities in which molecules can be adsorbed and activated for conversion to new products, in this case CO₂ .

The researchers used a cerium-based MOF, built using organic linkers that contain amino groups to improve how it absorbs light. When illuminated, the material briefly undergoes an electronic change, creating temporary 鈥渙pen鈥� sites in its pores that can grab hold of CO鈧� molecules. They then react and convert into CO before being released again.

This reversible binding behaviour is similar to how enzymes in living systems handle small molecules such as CO鈧�.

In laboratory experiments, the new catalyst produces CO extremely efficiently, with no detectable by-products, outperforming many existing benchmark materials.

Unlike other existing systems, the process does not require precious metals or added chemicals that are consumed during the reaction. It also avoids producing large amounts of hydrogen instead of useful carbon-based products.

The new system uses only light, water and CO鈧�, and produces one single valuable product.

Prof Sihai Yang, said: 鈥�Our research is still at a fundamental stage, but the findings provide a clear blueprint for designing next-generation catalysts that turn waste CO鈧� into useful chemicals.

 鈥淏y learning from how nature controls chemical reactions, we can begin to design materials that open up exciting possibilities for clean and efficient energy technologies.鈥�

The researchers believe the principles demonstrated here could be applied to a wide range of reactions, helping to accelerate the development of sustainable solar-to-fuel technologies.

This research was publihsed in the Journal of the American Chemical Society

Full title: Light-induced Binding and Reduction of CO₂ over Transient Open Ce(III) Sites in a Metal-Organic Framework

DOI:

URL: