Selective Photocatalytic Reduction of CO₂ to Syngas Over Tunable Metal-Perovskite Interface

The extensive emission of CO₂ results in critical environmental issues, such as global warming. Photocatalytic CO₂ conversion is a meaningful route to convert CO₂ into useful chemicals. However, the highly selective reduction of CO₂ with the avoidance of hydrogen evolution is still challenging. Herein, the photocatalytic reduction CO₂ to synthesis gas (syngas) was achieved on a metal Ag socketed perovskite LaFeO₃ (LFO) catalytic interface prepared by an in-situ exsolution method. The conduction band of Ag-exsolved LFO is more negative than LFO, benefiting efficient CO₂ reduction. By tuning the dopant Ag cation in the lattice to nanoparticles pinned on the surface, the CO formation rate was improved around five-fold from 0.51 to 2.41 μmol g^-1  h^-1 . Meanwhile, the H₂ /CO molar ratio also showed strong dependence on the modality of Ag at the metal-perovskite interface. The design offers a promising pathway for transforming CO₂ to valuable chemicals based on efficient photocatalysts design.