Tunable green syngas generation from CO and HO with sunlight as the only energy input.

The carbon-neutral synthesis of syngas from CO and HO powered by solar energy holds grand promise for solving critical issues such as global warming and the energy crisis. Here we report photochemical reduction of CO with HO into syngas using core/shell Au@CrO dual cocatalyst-decorated multistacked InGaN/GaN nanowires (NWs) with sunlight as the only energy input. First-principle density functional theory calculations revealed that Au and CrO are synergetic in deforming the linear CO molecule to a bent state with an O-C-O angle of 116.

Atomic-Scale Origin of Long-Term Stability and High Performance of p-GaN Nanowire Arrays for Photocatalytic Overall Pure Water Splitting.

The atomic-scale origin of the unusually high performance and long-term stability of wurtzite p-GaN oriented nanowire arrays is revealed. Nitrogen termination of both the polar (0001¯) top face and the nonpolar (101¯0) side faces of the nanowires is essential for long-term stability and high efficiency. Such a distinct atomic configuration ensures not only stability against (photo) oxidation in air and in water/electrolyte but, as importantly, also provides the necessary overall reverse crystal polarization needed for efficient hole extraction in p-GaN.