Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation

Solar-driven CO2 photoreduction holds promise for sustainable fuel and chemical productions, but the complex proton-coupled multi-electron transfer processes and sluggish oxidation half-reaction kinetics substantially hinder its efficiency. Here, we devised a rational catalyst design to address thes...

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Main Authors: Ben Lei, Gaofeng Zhou, Zhongyou Gong, Chao Liu, Ying Zhou, Vitaliy P. Guro, Yanjuan Sun, Jianping Sheng, Fan Dong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2025-01-01
Series:Research
Online Access:https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0567
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author Ben Lei
Gaofeng Zhou
Zhongyou Gong
Chao Liu
Ying Zhou
Vitaliy P. Guro
Yanjuan Sun
Jianping Sheng
Fan Dong
author_facet Ben Lei
Gaofeng Zhou
Zhongyou Gong
Chao Liu
Ying Zhou
Vitaliy P. Guro
Yanjuan Sun
Jianping Sheng
Fan Dong
author_sort Ben Lei
collection DOAJ
description Solar-driven CO2 photoreduction holds promise for sustainable fuel and chemical productions, but the complex proton-coupled multi-electron transfer processes and sluggish oxidation half-reaction kinetics substantially hinder its efficiency. Here, we devised a rational catalyst design to address these challenges by fabricating ferrocene carboxylic acid-functionalized Cs3Sb2Br9 nanocrystals (CSB-Fc NCs), which facilitate simultaneous benzyl alcohol oxidation and CO2 reduction reactions under visible-light irradiation. The synchronized proton-coupled electron transfer processes between the reduction and oxidation half-reactions on CSB-Fc NCs resulted in a 5-fold increase in the CO2 reduction rate (45.56 μmol g−1 h−1, 97.9% CO selectivity) and a 5.8-fold enhancement in benzyl alcohol conversion (97.7% selectivity for benzaldehyde) compared to the CSB. In situ Raman and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra revealed that the dynamic Fe2+/Fe3+ redox loop within the Fc unit serves as the actual active site, facilitating the activation of substrate molecules. More importantly, in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry spectroscopy, with isotope labeling of Deuteron-benzyl alcohol and 13CO2, confirmed that proton transfer from the hydroxyl group generates reactive protons at the Fe2+/Fe3+ site, enabling efficient CO2 photoreduction through subsequent protonation steps. This work offers a cost-effective and efficient approach for synergetic CO2 photoreduction driven by organic synthesis, advancing solar energy utilization.
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spelling doaj-art-c5e26ba08970425eb2e40ac682bc3a702025-08-20T02:36:02ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742025-01-01810.34133/research.0567Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol OxidationBen Lei0Gaofeng Zhou1Zhongyou Gong2Chao Liu3Ying Zhou4Vitaliy P. Guro5Yanjuan Sun6Jianping Sheng7Fan Dong8School of Resources and Environment, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.School of Resources and Environment, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.Chengdu Zhihe Environmental Technology Co. Ltd., Chengdu 610207, China.Chengdu Zhihe Environmental Technology Co. Ltd., Chengdu 610207, China.School of New Energy and Materials, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China.Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent 100047, Uzbekistan.School of Resources and Environment, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.School of Resources and Environment, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.School of Resources and Environment, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.Solar-driven CO2 photoreduction holds promise for sustainable fuel and chemical productions, but the complex proton-coupled multi-electron transfer processes and sluggish oxidation half-reaction kinetics substantially hinder its efficiency. Here, we devised a rational catalyst design to address these challenges by fabricating ferrocene carboxylic acid-functionalized Cs3Sb2Br9 nanocrystals (CSB-Fc NCs), which facilitate simultaneous benzyl alcohol oxidation and CO2 reduction reactions under visible-light irradiation. The synchronized proton-coupled electron transfer processes between the reduction and oxidation half-reactions on CSB-Fc NCs resulted in a 5-fold increase in the CO2 reduction rate (45.56 μmol g−1 h−1, 97.9% CO selectivity) and a 5.8-fold enhancement in benzyl alcohol conversion (97.7% selectivity for benzaldehyde) compared to the CSB. In situ Raman and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra revealed that the dynamic Fe2+/Fe3+ redox loop within the Fc unit serves as the actual active site, facilitating the activation of substrate molecules. More importantly, in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry spectroscopy, with isotope labeling of Deuteron-benzyl alcohol and 13CO2, confirmed that proton transfer from the hydroxyl group generates reactive protons at the Fe2+/Fe3+ site, enabling efficient CO2 photoreduction through subsequent protonation steps. This work offers a cost-effective and efficient approach for synergetic CO2 photoreduction driven by organic synthesis, advancing solar energy utilization.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0567
spellingShingle Ben Lei
Gaofeng Zhou
Zhongyou Gong
Chao Liu
Ying Zhou
Vitaliy P. Guro
Yanjuan Sun
Jianping Sheng
Fan Dong
Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation
Research
title Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation
title_full Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation
title_fullStr Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation
title_full_unstemmed Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation
title_short Dynamically Cyclic Fe2+/Fe3+ Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation
title_sort dynamically cyclic fe2 fe3 active sites as electron and proton feeding centers boosting co2 photoreduction powered by benzyl alcohol oxidation
url https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0567
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