Efficient Photocatalytic Reduction of CO <sub>2</sub> Catalyzed by the Metal–Organic Framework MFM-300(Ga)
Tian Luo, Zi Wang, Xue Han, Yinlin Chen, Dinu Iuga, Daniel Lee, Bing An, Shaojun Xu, Xinchen Kang, Floriana Tuna, Eric J. L. McInnes, Lewis Hughes, Ben F. Spencer, Martin Schröder, Sihai Yang⧫
Abstract
Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to carbon fuels is an important target but highly challenging to achieve. Here, we report the efficient photoconversion of CO2 into formic acid over a Ga(III)-based metal–organic framework (MOF) material using triethanolamine as the sacrificial agent. Under light irradiation and at room temperature, photoreduction of CO2 over MFM-300(Ga) yields formic acid with a selectivity of 100%, a high productivity of 502 ± 18 μmol·gcat−1·h−1, and excellent catalytic stability. In situ electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals that MFM-300(Ga) promotes the generation of CO2•− radical anions as a reaction intermediate driven by strong binding and activation of CO2 molecules at the bridging –OH sites within the pore. This study represents the first example of a Ga(III)-based MOF catalyst for CO2 reduction. \n \n