Doping Iron in CsPbBr₃ Perovskite Nanocrystals for Efficient and Product Selective CO₂ Reduction

Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals have recently emerged as an efficient optical material for light harvesting. While these have been extensively studied for obtaining bright emissions, their use as catalysts for enhancing the rate of chemical reactions has been explored little. Considering their importance in catalysis, herein, Fe(II)-doped CsPbBr₃ perovskite nanocrystals have been explored for photocatalytic reduction of CO₂. In comparison to undoped CsPbBr₃, doped nanocrystals showed enhanced catalytic activity and also predominantly led to evolution of CH₄ instead of CO. The observation of a reverse trend of predominated CH₄ evolution in doped nanocrystals rather than CO observed for undoped nanocrystals was correlated to the adsorption/desorption energy of respective products established theoretically earlier. This selective evolution of major products on doping remained unique and also a step forward for understanding more regarding light to chemical energy conversions using perovskite nanocrystals.