Light-Field Orchestrated Tandem Photothermal Catalysis for Highly Selective CO₂-To-C₂₊ Olefin Conversion

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Direct photothermal conversion of CO2 to olefins is crucial for sustainable carbon utilization.
• Achieving high activity and selectivity simultaneously in CO2 conversion remains challenging due to catalytic efficiency trade-offs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a spatially modulated light-field strategy for one-pot CO2-to-olefin conversion.
• To overcome the intrinsic trade-offs in catalytic efficiency for enhanced CO2 utilization.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a light-field to orchestrate tandem active sites for in situ transformation of bimetallic ferrite into alloyed carbide.
• Forming synergistic CoFe oxide/carbide interfaces for enhanced catalytic performance.
• Investigating light-modulated interfacial coupling and its effect on active site electronic structure.

Main Results:

• Optimized system achieved 39.6% CO2 conversion with 2.05 mmol g-1 h-1 C2-4 olefin productivity, including 78.5% C2H4 and C3H6.
• Under flow conditions, C2+ olefin selectivity reached 72% among hydrocarbon products.
• Integrated reactor system produced 66.1 L m-2 of C2-4 olefins per day under ambient sunlight.

Conclusions:

• The light-field strategy effectively mitigates mass-transfer limitations and directs selectivity toward C2+ olefins.
• This approach establishes a benchmark for photothermal CO2-to-olefin conversion, demonstrating scalability and feasibility.
• Paves the way for advanced light-driven catalytic systems for industrial CO2 high value-added conversion.