New Carbon Nanodots‐Silica Hybrid Photocatalyst for Highly Selective Solar Fuel Production from CO₂

Abstract

Abstract Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction for solar fuel production has attracted considerable attention as it can simultaneously reduce the effects of worldwide fossil‐fuel shortage and global warming. As a means to achieve this we herein report the facile and eco‐friendly synthesis of highly active carbon nanodots‐silica hybrid photocatalyst (CNDSH) by a reverse microemulsion method with a nonionic surfactant. The photocatalyst‐biocatalyst coupled system developed using CNDSH as photocatalyst functions efficiently to carry out high NADH regeneration (74.10±0.17 %) followed by its consumption in exclusive formic acid production (203.33±1.9 μmol) from CO 2 . This research work is a benchmark example of carbon nanodots‐silica hybrid photocatalyst system for solar fuel production and expected to trigger further interest in the development of efficient and eco‐friendly CO 2 reduction systems.