Efficient Photocatalytic CO Reduction with High Selectivity for Ethanol by Synergistically Coupled MXene-Ceria and the Charge Carrier Dynamics.

The primary factors that govern the selectivity and efficacy of CO photoreduction are the degree of activation of CO on the active surface sites of photocatalysts and charge separation/transfer kinetics. In this context, the rational synthesis of heterostructured MXene-coupled CeO-based photocatalysts with different loading concentrations of TiCMXene via a one-step hydrothermal approach has been undertaken. These photocatalysts exhibit a shift in X-ray diffraction peaks to higher 2θ values and changes in stretching vibrations of 5 wt % TiCMXene/CeO(5-TC/Ce) that indicate interaction between TiCMXene and CeO.

Enhanced Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia by Surface- and Defect-Engineered Co-catalyst-Modified Perovskite Catalysts under Ambient Conditions and Their Charge Carrier Dynamics.

An electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction is considered a potential approach for green ammonia production─a zero-carbon fertilizer, fuel, and energy storage for renewable energy. To harness the synergistic properties of perovskites, the inherent dipole moment due to their non-centrosymmetric structure (that facilitates better charge separation), oxygen vacancies, and the presence of Ni metal sites that permit activation and reduction of N efficiently, the NiTiO-based nanoelectrocatalysts have been synthesized. Further, these catalysts have been modified with ultra-small metal nanocrystal co-catalysts to form heterointerfaces that not only aid to improve the charge separation but also activate N and lower overpotential requirements.