Production of Methanol from Aqueous CO2 by Using Co3O4 Nanostructures as Photocatalysts

In this work, we report for the first time the photocatalytic activity of Co3O4 nanostructures for the reduction of aqueous CO2 to methanol (MeOH). This could be considered a simple example of artificial photosynthesis. The photocatalysis experiments were developed under simulated solar light of 100mW/cm(2) and without using any sacrificial agent. To carry out this study, nanostructured mixed valence cobalt oxide (Co3O4) powders, with porous nanoparticle aggregates of different morphologies, have been prepared by two synthesis methods. The characterization of structural (PXRD, XPS, SEM, and TEM) and optical (UV-vis-NIR, Raman, and FT-IR) properties, magnetization curves, and surface area (BET) was accomplished.