Plasmonic Cu Nanoparticles for the Low‐temperature Photo‐driven Water‐gas Shift Reaction
Jiaqi Zhao, Ya Bai, Zhenhua Li, Jinjia Liu, Wei Wang, Pu Wang, Bei Yang, Run Shi, Geoffrey I. N. Waterhouse, Xiaodong Wen, Qing Dai, Tierui Zhang
Abstract
Abstract The activation of water molecules in thermal catalysis typically requires high temperatures, representing an obstacle to catalyst development for the low‐temperature water‐gas shift reaction (WGSR). Plasmonic photocatalysis allows activation of water at low temperatures through the generation of light‐induced hot electrons. Herein, we report a layered double hydroxide‐derived copper catalyst (LD‐Cu) with outstanding performance for the low‐temperature photo‐driven WGSR. LD‐Cu offered a lower activation energy for WGSR to H 2 under UV/Vis irradiation (1.4 W cm −2 ) compared to under dark conditions. Detailed experimental studies revealed that highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles created an abundance of hot electrons during light absorption, which promoted *H 2 O dissociation and *H combination via a carboxyl pathway, leading to the efficient production of H 2 . Results demonstrate the benefits of exploiting plasmonic phenomena in the development of photo‐driven low‐temperature WGSR catalysts.