Localized Phase Transformation Triggering Lattice Matching of Metal Oxide and Carbonate Hydroxide for Efficient CO2 Photoreduction

Abstract

AbstractOrderly heterostructured catalysts, which integrate nanomaterials of complementary structures and dimensions into single‐entity structures, have hold great promise for sustainability applications. In this work, it is showcased that air as green reagent can trigger in situ localized phase transformation and transform the metal carbonate hydroxide nanowires into ordered heterostructured catalyst. In single‐crystal nanowire heterostructure, the in situ generated and nanosized Co3O4 will be anchored in single‐crystal Co6(CO3)2(OH)8 nanowires spontaneously, triggered by the lattice matching between the (220) plane of Co3O4 and the (001) plane of Co6(CO3)2(OH)8. The lattice matching allows intimate contact at heterointerface with well‐defined orientation and strong interfacial coupling, and thus significantly expedites the transfer of photogenerated electrons from tiny Co3O4 to catalytically active Co6(CO3)2(OH)8 in single‐crystal nanowire, which elevates the catalytic efficiency of metal carbonate catalyst in the CO2 reduction reaction (VCO = 19.46 mmol g−1 h−1 and VH2 = 11.53 mmol g−1 h−1). The present findings add to the growing body of knowledge on exploiting Earth‐abundant metal‐carbonate catalysts, and demonstrate the utility of localized phase transformation in constructing advanced catalysts for energy and environmental sustainability applications.