Gas-phase CO2 photoreduction via iron/ZSM-5 composites

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into chemicals has been recognized as a promising strategy for combining virtuous carbon cycle and solar energy storage. The realization of this process depends on an efficient catalyst to activate CO2 molecule utilizing solar light. Rational design of hybrid structural photocatalyst comprising multiple components with distinctive functionalities is highly desirable for gas-phase CO2 photocatalytic conversion. Here we report iron oxide species modified zeolite ZSM-5 by function ion preadsorption assistance for the efficient photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO and aldehyde. Derived from the synergistic Fe-II and Fe-III functions on ZSM-5, the FeOx/ZSM-5 composite catalysts furnished favorable band gaps and active sites for CO2 adsorption/activation as well as C-C coupling. Significantly, the 3 wt% FeOx/ZSM-5 catalyst exhibits a high CO2 conversion rate of 17.6 mu mol g(cat)(-1 )h(-1), with a high selectivity (43.1 %) for aldehyde generation (7.6 mu mol g(cat)(-1 )h(-1)).