Artificial Photosynthesis of Glycolaldehyde and Syngas from Plastic Feedstocks via Boron-Functionalized Nickel...

Glycolaldehyde is an important intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and biodegradable plastics. Artificial photosynthesis of glycolaldehyde from plastic waste provides a sustainable approach for waste recycling and solar energy utilization. However, the inertness of plastic substrates and unselective photoredox make it challenging to generate valuable aldehydes or other market-demanded products. Here we demonstrate co-production of glycolaldehyde and syngas from the photoreforming of polyethylene terephthalate via an electron-proton cascade redox using a boron-functionalized nickel species modified CdS photocatalyst (Ni_nB@Ni-BO_x/CdS) under ambient conditions. We confirm the surface specie as a nickel boride@nickel borate core-shell nanoarchitecture with dual functions, serving as a reduction cocatalyst and facilitating electron-proton cascade transfer. The feature boosts charge separation and reactant molecule activation for an efficient cooperative redox. The optimized photocatalyst exhibits a glycolaldehyde generation of 1068.3 µmol g_cat ^-1 h^-1 with a selectivity of 66.3%, as well as a syngas generation of 3232.2 µmol g_cat ^-1 h^-1 with a tuneable H₂/CO ratio. The finding demonstrates the solar-driven synthesis of value-added and multifunctional products from plastic waste as a sustainable and economically promising strategy.