Lewis acid activated CO₂ reduction over a Ni modified Ni-Ge hydroxide driven by visible-infrared light

Improvement of light harvesting and reaction kinetics is of great importance for achieving efficient solar-driven CO₂ reduction. Here, a Ni modified low-crystalline Ni-Ge containing hydroxide with Lewis acid sites was synthesized in highly reductive NaBH₄ solution and exhibited 9.3 μmol g_cat.^-1 h^-1 CO and 3.5 μmol g_cat.^-1 h^-1 CH₄ generation rates under visible light irradiation, and even achieved a 3.8 μmol g_cat.^-1 h^-1 CO evolution under infrared light irradiation. The wide-spectrum light harvesting resulted from the light absorption from the localized surface plasmonic resonance of Ni nanoparticles. In addition, the Lewis acid can activate C[double bond, length as m-dash]O bonds to decrease the kinetic barriers of CO₂ reduction. The design concept that rationally combines the advantages of expanding the spectral response and activating CO₂ may offer a new strategy for efficient solar energy utilization.