UV–Vis–Infrared Light Driven Thermocatalytic Activity of Octahedral Layered Birnessite Nanoflowers Enhanced by a Novel Photoactivation

Abstract

Nanoflowers of octahedral layered birnessite (OL‐NF) were synthesized and characterized with a variety of techniques. Remarkably, OL‐NF exhibits a catalytic activity with a high efficiency for CO oxidation under irradiation of the full solar spectrum, visible‐infrared, or infrared light. This highly efficient catalytic activity under solar‐light irradiation originates from solar‐light‐driven thermocatalysis related to the efficient photothermal conversion and thermocatalytic activity of OL‐NF. A conceptually novel photoactivation effect is found to significantly improve the activity of the lattice oxygen of OL‐NF, thus considerably increasing the thermocatalytic activity of OL‐NF.