Coupling Direct Atmospheric CO₂ Capture with Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction for Highly Efficient C₂H₆ Production

Abstract

As massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) have been emitted into the atmosphere causing severe global warming problems, developing carbon-negative techniques to control atmospheric CO₂ concentrations is enormously urgent. Herein, by coupling the direct atmosphere CO₂ capture adsorbent ZSM-5 with the CO₂ reduction photocatalyst NiV₂Se₄, we present the first synergistic approach for concentrating and converting atmospheric CO₂ into C₂ solar fuels. A C₂H₆ yield of 1.85 μmol g^-1 h^-1 has been achieved in the air, outperforming state-of-the-art direct atmospheric CO₂ conversion photocatalysts. Comprehensive characterizations show that ZSM-5 enhances CO₂ capture from the atmosphere, improving the interfacial interaction of CO₂ on the NiV₂Se₄ surface for C-C coupling of CH₃* to form C₂H₆. This work demonstrates the first example of integrating direct CO₂ capture material with a CO₂ reduction photocatalyst for atmospheric CO₂ capture and utilization, which paves the way for the negative-carbon technology development under worldwide carbon-neutral pressure.