High‐Rate,Tunable Syngas Production with Artificial Photosynthetic Cells

An artificial photosynthetic (APS) system consisting of a photoanodic semiconductor that harvests solar photons to split H₂O, a Ni‐SNG cathodic catalyst for the dark reaction of CO₂ reduction in a CO₂‐saturated NaHCO₃ solution, and a proton‐conducting membrane enabled syngas production from CO₂ and H₂O with solar‐to‐syngas energy‐conversion efficiency of up to 13.6 %. The syngas CO/H₂ ratio was tunable between 1:2 and 5:1. Integration of the APS system with photovoltaic cells led to an impressive overall quantum efficiency of 6.29 % for syngas production. The largest turnover frequency of 529.5 h^?1 was recorded with a photoanodic N‐TiO₂ nanorod array for highly stable CO production. The CO‐evolution rate reached a maximum of 154.9 mmol g^?1 h^?1 in the dark compartment of the APS cell. Scanning electrochemical–atomic force microscopy showed the localization of electrons on the single‐nickel‐atom sites of the Ni‐SNG catalyst, thus confirming that the multielectron reduction of CO₂ to CO was kinetically favored.     

POM‐Incorporated CoO Nanowires for Enhanced Photocatalytic Syngas Production from CO2

Utilizing sustainable energy for chemical activation of small molecules, such as CO₂, to produce important chemical feedstocks is highly desirable. The simultaneous production of CO/H₂ mixture (syngas) from photoreduction of CO₂ and H₂O is highly promising. However, the relationships between structure, composition, crystallinity, and photocatalytic performance are still indistinct. Here, amorphous ultrathin CoO nanowires and polyoxometalate incorporated nanowires with even lower crystallinity were synthesized. The POM‐incorporated ultrathin nanowires exhibit high photocatalytic syngas production activity, reaching H₂ and CO evolution rates of 11555 and 4165 μmol g^?1 h^?1 respectively. Further experiments indicate that the ultrathin morphology and incorporation of POM both contribute to the superior performance. Multiple characterizations reveal the enhanced charge–hole separation efficiency of the catalyst would facilitate the photocatalysis.     

Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Syngas with Controllable CO/H2 Ratios over Co and Ni Single‐Atom Catalysts

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to yield synthesis gas (syngas, CO and H₂) has been considered as a promising method to realize the net reduction in CO₂ emission. However, it is challenging to balance the CO₂RR activity and the CO/H₂ ratio. To address this issue, nitrogen‐doped carbon supported single‐atom catalysts are designed as electrocatalysts to produce syngas from CO₂RR. While Co and Ni single‐atom catalysts are selective in producing H₂ and CO, respectively, electrocatalysts containing both Co and Ni show a high syngas evolution (total current >74 mA cm^?2) with CO/H₂ ratios (0.23–2.26) that are suitable for typical downstream thermochemical reactions. Density functional theory calculations provide insights into the key intermediates on Co and Ni single‐atom configurations for the H₂ and CO evolution. The results present a useful case on how non‐precious transition metal species can maintain high CO₂RR activity with tunable CO/H₂ ratios.     

POM-Incorporated CoO Nanowires for Enhanced Photocatalytic Syngas Production from CO2

Utilizing sustainable energy for chemical activation of small molecules, such as CO₂, to produce important chemical feedstocks is highly desirable. The simultaneous production of CO/H₂ mixture (syngas) from photoreduction of CO₂ and H₂O is highly promising. However, the relationships between structure, composition, crystallinity, and photocatalytic performance are still indistinct. Here, amorphous ultrathin CoO nanowires and polyoxometalate incorporated nanowires with even lower crystallinity were synthesized. The POM-incorporated ultrathin nanowires exhibit high photocatalytic syngas production activity, reaching H₂ and CO evolution rates of 11555 and 4165 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ respectively. Further experiments indicate that the ultrathin morphology and incorporation of POM both contribute to the superior performance. Multiple characterizations reveal the enhanced charge–hole separation efficiency of the catalyst would facilitate the photocatalysis.     

Photothermal Conversion of CO2 into CH4 with H2 over Group VIII Nanocatalysts: An Alternative Approach for Solar Fuel Production

The photothermal conversion of CO₂ provides a straightforward and effective method for the highly efficient production of solar fuels with high solar‐light utilization efficiency. This is due to several crucial features of the Group VIII nanocatalysts, including effective energy utilization over the whole range of the solar spectrum, excellent photothermal performance, and unique activation abilities. Photothermal CO₂ reaction rates (mol h^?1 g^?1) that are several orders of magnitude larger than those obtained with photocatalytic methods (μmol h^?1 g^?1) were thus achieved. It is proposed that the overall water‐based CO₂ conversion process can be achieved by combining light‐driven H₂ production from water and photothermal CO₂ conversion with H₂. More generally, this work suggests that traditional catalysts that are characterized by intense photoabsorption will find new applications in photo‐induced green‐chemistry processes.     

Non-Interacting Ni and Fe Dual-Atom Pair Sites in N-Doped Carbon Catalysts for Efficient Concentrating Solar-Driven Photothermal CO2 Reduction

Solar-to-chemical energy conversion under weak solar irradiation is generally difficult to meet the heat demand of CO₂ reduction. Herein, a new concentrated solar-driven photothermal system coupling a dual-metal single-atom catalyst (DSAC) with adjacent Ni−N₄ and Fe−N₄ pair sites is designed for boosting gas-solid CO₂ reduction with H₂O under simulated solar irradiation, even under ambient sunlight. As expected, the (Ni, Fe)−N−C DSAC exhibits a superior photothermal catalytic performance for CO₂ reduction to CO (86.16 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), CH₄ (135.35 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and CH₃OH (59.81 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), which are equivalent to 1.70-fold, 1.27-fold and 1.23-fold higher than those of the Fe−N−C catalyst, respectively. Based on theoretical simulations, the Fermi level and d-band center of Fe atom is efficiently regulated in non-interacting Ni and Fe dual-atom pair sites with electronic interaction through electron orbital hybridization on (Ni, Fe)−N−C DSAC. Crucially, the distance between adjacent Ni and Fe atoms of the Ni−N−N−Fe configuration means that the additional Ni atom as a new active site contributes to the main *COOH and *HCO₃ dissociation to optimize the corresponding energy barriers in the reaction process, leading to specific dual reaction pathways (COOH and HCO₃ pathways) for solar-driven photothermal CO₂ reduction to initial CO production.     

Eosin Y‐Functionalized Conjugated Organic Polymers for Visible‐Light‐Driven CO2 Reduction with H2O to CO with High Efficiency

Visible‐light‐driven photoreduction of CO₂ to energy‐rich chemicals in the presence of H₂O without any sacrifice reagent is of significance, but challenging. Herein, Eosin Y‐functionalized porous polymers (PEosinY‐N, N=1–3), with high surface areas up to 610 m² g^?1, are reported. They exhibit high activity for the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to CO in the presence of gaseous H₂O, without any photosensitizer or sacrifice reagent, and under visible‐light irradiation. Especially, PEosinY‐1 derived from coupling of Eosin Y with 1,4‐diethynylbenzene shows the best performance for the CO₂ photoreduction, affording CO as the sole carbonaceous product with a production rate of 33 μmol g^?1 h^?1 and a selectivity of 92 %. This work provides new insight for designing and fabricating photocatalytically active polymers with high efficiency for solar‐energy conversion.     

Widely Controllable Syngas Production by a Dye‐Sensitized TiO2 Hybrid System with ReI and CoIII Catalysts under Visible‐Light Irradiation

Visible‐light irradiation of a ternary hybrid catalyst prepared by grafting a dye, an H₂ evolving Co^III catalyst and a CO‐producing Re^I catalyst on TiO₂ have been found to produce both H₂ and CO (syngas) in CO₂‐saturated N ,N ‐dimethyl formamide (DMF)/water solution containing a 0.1 m sacrificial electron donor. The H₂/CO ratios are effectively controlled by changing either the water content of the solvent or the molar ratio of the Re^I and Co^III catalysts ranging from 1:2 to 15:1. The controlled syngas formation is discussed in terms of competitive electron flow from TiO₂ to each of the CO₂‐reduction and hydrogen‐evolving sites depending on the efficiencies of the two catalytic reaction cycles under given reaction conditions.     

Bias-Free Solar-Driven Syngas Production: A Fe2O3 Photoanode Featuring Single-Atom Cobalt Integrated with a Silver-Palladium Cathode

Photoelectrochemical syngas production from aqueous CO₂ is a promising technique for carbon capture and utilization. Herein, we demonstrate the efficient and tunable syngas production by integrating a single-atom cobalt-catalyst-decorated α-Fe₂O₃ photoanode with a bimetallic Ag/Pd alloy cathode. A record syngas production activity of 81.9 μmol cm⁻² h⁻¹ (CO/H₂ ratio: ≈1 : 1) was achieved under artificial sunlight (AM 1.5 G) with an excellent durability. Systematic studies reveal that the Co single atoms effectively extract the holes from Fe₂O₃ photoanodes and serve as active sites for promoting oxygen evolution. Simultaneously, the Pd and Ag atoms in bimetallic cathodes selectively adsorb CO₂ and protons for facilitating CO production. Further incorporation with a photovoltaic, to allow solar light (>600 nm) to be utilized, yields a bias-free CO₂ reduction device with solar-to-CO and solar-to-H₂ conversion efficiencies up to 1.33 and 1.36 %, respectively.     

Homogeneous Molecular Iron Catalysts for Direct Photocatalytic Conversion of Formic Acid to Syngas (CO+H2)

The catalytic decomposition of formic acid to generate syngas (a mixture of H₂ and CO) is a highly valuable strategy for energy conversion. Syngas can be used directly in internal combustion engines or can be converted to liquid fuels, meeting future energy challenges in a sustainable manner. Herein, we report the use of homogeneous molecular iron catalysts combined with a CdS nanorods (NRs) semiconductor to construct a highly efficient photocatalytic system for direct conversion of formic acid to syngas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Under optimal conditions, the photocatalytic system presents an activity of 150 mmol g_catalyst^?1 h^?1 towards H₂, and an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 16.8 %, making it among the most active noble‐metal‐free photocatalytic systems for H₂ evolution from formic acid under visible light. Meanwhile, these iron‐based molecular catalysts also demonstrate remarkable enhancement in CO evolution with robust stability. The mechanistic role of the molecular catalyst is further investigated by using cyclic voltammetry, which suggests the formation of Fe^I species as the key step in the catalytic conversion of formic acid to syngas.     

Tweaking Photo CO2 Reduction by Altering Lewis Acidic Sites in Metalated-Porous Organic Polymer for Adjustable H2/CO Ratio in Syngas Production

Herein, we have specifically designed two metalated porous organic polymers ( Zn-POP and Co-POP ) for syngas (CO+H₂) production from gaseous CO₂. The variable H₂/CO ratio of syngas with the highest efficiency was produced in water medium (without an organic hole scavenger and photosensitizer) by utilizing the basic principle of Lewis acid/base chemistry. Also, we observed the formation of entirely different major products during photocatalytic CO₂ reduction and water splitting with the help of the two catalysts, where CO (145.65 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and H₂ (434.7 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) production were preferentially obtained over Co-POP & Zn-POP , respectively. The higher electron density/better Lewis basic nature of Co-POP was investigated further using XPS, XANES, and NH₃-TPD studies, which considerably improve CO₂ activation capacity. Moreover, the structure–activity relationship was confirmed via in situ DRIFTS and DFT studies, which demonstrated the formation of COOH* intermediate along with the thermodynamic feasibility of CO₂ reduction over Co-POP while water splitting occurred preferentially over Zn-POP .     

Study of K/Mn-MgO Supported Fe Catalysts with Fe（CO）5 and Fe（NO3）3 as Precursors for CO Hydrogenation to Light Alkenes

Two K/Mn-MgO supported catalysts were prepared by Fe（CO）5 and Fe（NO3）3 as precursor respectively. The obtained Fe-K/Mn-MgO catalysts were tested for CO hydrogenation to light alkenes and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectra （XPS）, H2 temperature-programmed reduction （H2-TPR）, H2 CO and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption （H2, CO/CO2-TPD） and transmission electron microscope （TEM） The results indicated that the catalyst with 10 wt% Fe loading prepared by Fe（CO）5 as precursor showed better performance in syngas to light alkenes than ones obtained from Fe（NO3）3 as precursor, where the CO conversion was 62.50% and the selectivity was 55.95% at 350 ℃, 1.5 MPa and 1000 h^-1, respectively.     

Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Syngas with Controllable CO/H2 Ratios over Co and Ni Single-Atom Catalysts

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to yield synthesis gas (syngas, CO and H₂) has been considered as a promising method to realize the net reduction in CO₂ emission. However, it is challenging to balance the CO₂RR activity and the CO/H₂ ratio. To address this issue, nitrogen-doped carbon supported single-atom catalysts are designed as electrocatalysts to produce syngas from CO₂RR. While Co and Ni single-atom catalysts are selective in producing H₂ and CO, respectively, electrocatalysts containing both Co and Ni show a high syngas evolution (total current >74 mA cm⁻²) with CO/H₂ ratios (0.23–2.26) that are suitable for typical downstream thermochemical reactions. Density functional theory calculations provide insights into the key intermediates on Co and Ni single-atom configurations for the H₂ and CO evolution. The results present a useful case on how non-precious transition metal species can maintain high CO₂RR activity with tunable CO/H₂ ratios.     

Controlled Synthesis of a Vacancy‐Defect Single‐Atom Catalyst for Boosting CO2 Electroreduction

The reaction of precursors containing both nitrogen and oxygen atoms with Ni^II under 500 °C can generate a N/O mixing coordinated Ni‐N₃O single‐atom catalyst (SAC) in which the oxygen atom can be gradually removed under high temperature due to the weaker Ni?O interaction, resulting in a vacancy‐defect Ni‐N₃‐V SAC at Ni site under 800 °C. For the reaction of Ni^II with the precursor simply containing nitrogen atoms, only a no‐vacancy‐defect Ni‐N₄ SAC was obtained. Experimental and DFT calculations reveal that the presence of a vacancy‐defect in Ni‐N₃‐V SAC can dramatically boost the electrocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction, with extremely high CO₂ reduction current density of 65 mA cm^?2 and high Faradaic efficiency over 90 % at ?0.9 V vs. RHE, as well as a record high turnover frequency of 1.35×10⁵ h^?1, much higher than those of Ni‐N₄ SAC, and being one of the best reported electrocatalysts for CO₂‐to‐CO conversion to date.     

Production of Hydrogen-Rich Syngas from Biogas Reforming with Partial Oxidation Using a Multi-Stage AC Gliding Arc System

The aim of this research work was to evaluate the possibility of upgrading the simulated biogas (70?% CH₄ and 30?% CO₂) for hydrogen-rich syngas production using a multi-stage AC gliding arc system. The results showed that increasing stage number of plasma reactors, applied voltage and electrode gap distance enhanced both CH₄ and CO₂ conversions, in contrast with the increases in feed flow rate and input frequency. The gaseous products were mainly H₂ and CO, with small amounts of C₂H₂, C₂H₄ and C₂H₆. The optimum conditions for hydrogen-rich syngas production using the four-stage AC gliding arc system were a feed flow rate of 150?cm³/min, an input frequency of 300?Hz, an applied voltage of 17?kV and an electrode gap distance of 6?mm. At the minimum power consumption (3.3?×?10^?18?W?s/molecule of biogas converted and 2.8?×?10^?18?W?s/molecule of syngas produced), CH₄ and CO₂ conversions were 21.5 and 5.7?%, respectively, H₂ and CO selectivities were 57.1 and 14.9?%, respectively, and H₂/CO (hydrogen-rich syngas) was 6.9. The combination of the plasma reforming and partial oxidation provided remarkable improvements to the overall process performance, especially in terms of reducing both the power consumption and the carbon formation on the electrode surface but the produced syngas had a much lower H₂/CO ratio, depending on the oxygen/methane feed molar ratio. The best feed molar ratio of O₂-to-CH₄ ratio was found to be 0.3/1, providing the CH₄ conversion of 81.4?%, CO₂ conversion of 49.3?%, O₂ conversion of 92.4?%, H₂ selectivity of 49.5?%, CO selectivity of 49.96?%, and H₂/CO of 1.6.     

Electrosynthesis of a Defective Indium Selenide with 3D Structure on a Substrate for Tunable CO2 Electroreduction to Syngas

Syngas (CO/H₂) is a feedstock for the production of a variety of valuable chemicals and liquid fuels, and CO₂ electrochemical reduction to syngas is very promising. However, the production of syngas with high efficiency is difficult. Herein, we show that defective indium selenide synthesized by an electrosynthesis method on carbon paper (γ‐In₂Se₃/CP) is an extremely efficient electrocatalyst for this reaction. CO and H₂ were the only products and the CO/H₂ ratio could be tuned in a wide range by changing the applied potential or the composition of the electrolyte. In particular, using nanoflower‐like γ‐In₂Se₃/CP (F‐γ‐In₂Se₃/CP) as the electrode, the current density could be as high as 90.1 mA cm^?2 at a CO/H₂ ratio of 1:1. In addition, the Faradaic efficiency of CO could reach 96.5 % with a current density of 55.3 mA cm^?2 at a very low overpotential of 220 mV. The outstanding electrocatalytic performance of F‐γ‐In₂Se₃/CP can be attributed to its defect‐rich 3D structure and good contact with the CP substrate.     

Dispersed Nickel Cobalt Oxyphosphide Nanoparticles Confined in Multichannel Hollow Carbon Fibers for Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Materials for high‐efficiency photocatalytic CO₂ reduction are desirable for solar‐to‐carbon fuel conversion. Herein, highly dispersed nickel cobalt oxyphosphide nanoparticles (NiCoOP NPs) were confined in multichannel hollow carbon fibers (MHCFs) to construct the NiCoOP‐NPs@MHCFs catalysts for efficient CO₂ photoreduction. The synthesis involves electrospinning, phosphidation, and carbonization steps and permits facile tuning of chemical composition. In the catalyst, the mixed metal oxyphosphide NPs with ultrasmall size and high dispersion offer abundant catalytically active sites for redox reactions. At the same time, the multichannel hollow carbon matrix with high conductivity and open ends will effectively promote mass/charge transfer, improve CO₂ adsorption, and prevent the metal oxyphosphide NPs from aggregation. The optimized hetero‐metal oxyphosphide catalyst exhibits considerable activity for photosensitized CO₂ reduction, affording a high CO evolution rate of 16.6 μmol h^?1 (per 0.1 mg of catalyst).     

Solar-Driven CO2 Conversion via Optimized Photothermal Catalysis in a Lotus Pod Structure

Photothermal CO₂ reduction is one of the most promising routes to efficiently utilize solar energy for fuel production at high rates. However, this reaction is currently limited by underdeveloped catalysts with low photothermal conversion efficiency, insufficient exposure of active sites, low active material loading, and high material cost. Herein, we report a potassium-modified carbon-supported cobalt (K⁺−Co−C) catalyst mimicking the structure of a lotus pod that addresses these challenges. As a result of the designed lotus-pod structure which features an efficient photothermal C substrate with hierarchical pores, an intimate Co/C interface with covalent bonding, and exposed Co catalytic sites with optimized CO binding strength, the K⁺−Co−C catalyst shows a record-high photothermal CO₂ hydrogenation rate of 758 mmol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ (2871 mmol g_Co⁻¹ h⁻¹) with a 99.8 % selectivity for CO, three orders of magnitude higher than typical photochemical CO₂ reduction reactions. We further demonstrate with this catalyst effective CO₂ conversion under natural sunlight one hour before sunset during the winter season, putting forward an important step towards practical solar fuel production.     

Ni/Al2O3 catalysts for CO methanation: Effect of Al2O3 supports calcined at different temperatures

The correlation between phase structures and surface acidity of Al₂O₃ supports calcined at different temperatures and the catalytic performance of Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts in the production of synthetic natural gas (SNG) via CO methanation was systematically investigated. A series of 10 wt% NiO/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by the conventional impregnation method, and the phase structures and surface acidity of Al₂O₃ supports were adjusted by calcining the commercial γ-Al₂O₃ at different temperatures (600–1200 °C). CO methanation reaction was carried out in the temperature range of 300–600 °C at different weight hourly space velocities (WHSV = 30000 and 120000 mL·g^?1·h^?1) and pressures (0.1 and 3.0 MPa). It was found that high calcination temperature not only led to the growth in Ni particle size, but also weakened the interaction between Ni nanoparticles and Al₂O₃ supports due to the rapid decrease of the specific surface area and acidity of Al₂O₃ supports. Interestingly, Ni catalysts supported on Al₂O₃ calcined at 1200 °C (Ni/Al₂O₃-1200) exhibited the best catalytic activity for CO methanation under different reaction conditions. Lifetime reaction tests also indicated that Ni/Al₂O₃-1200 was the most active and stable catalyst compared with the other three catalysts, whose supports were calcined at lower temperatures (600, 800 and 1000 °C). These findings would therefore be helpful to develop Ni/Al₂O₃ methanation catalyst for SNG production.     

High‐Efficiency Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Nickel Single‐Atom Catalysts with Tetradentate N2O2 Coordination in a Three‐Phase Flow Cell

Carbon‐supported Ni^II single‐atom catalysts with a tetradentate Ni‐N₂O₂ coordination formed by a Schiff base ligand‐mediated pyrolysis strategy are presented. A Ni^II complex of the Schiff base ligand (R,R)‐(?)‐N,N′‐bis(3,5‐di‐tert‐butylsalicylidene)‐1,2‐cyclohexanediamine was adsorbed onto a carbon black support, followed by pyrolysis of the modified carbon material at 300 °C in Ar. The Ni‐N₂O₂/C catalyst showed excellent performance for the electrocatalytic reduction of O₂ to H₂O₂ through a two‐electron transfer process in alkaline conditions, with a H₂O₂ selectivity of 96 %. At a current density of 70 mA cm^?2, a H₂O₂ production rate of 5.9 mol g_cat.^?1 h^?1 was achieved using a three‐phase flow cell, with good catalyst stability maintained over 8 h of testing. The Ni‐N₂O₂/C catalyst could electrocatalytically reduce O₂ in air to H₂O₂ at a high current density, still affording a high H₂O₂ selectivity (>90 %). A precise Ni‐N₂O₂ coordination was key to the performance.