Selectivity control towards CO versus H₂ for photo-driven CO₂ reduction with a novel Co(II) catalyst

Developing efficient catalysts for reducing carbon dioxide, a highly stable combustion waste product, is a relevant task to lower the atmospheric concentration of this greenhouse gas by upcycling. Selectivity towards CO₂-reduction products is highly desirable, although it can be challenging to achieve since the metal-hydrides formation is sometimes favored and leads to H₂ evolution. In this work, we designed a cobalt-based catalyst, and we present herein its physicochemical properties. Moreover, we tailored a fully earth-abundant photocatalytic system to achieve specifically CO₂ reduction, optimizing efficiency and selectivity. By changing the conditions, we enhanced the turnover number (TON) of CO production from only 0.5 to more than 60 and the selectivity from 6% to 97% after four hours of irradiation at 420 nm. Further efficiency enhancement was achieved by adding 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropan-2-ol, producing CO with a TON up to 230, although at the expense of selectivity (54%).