journal article·2026-01-22Open access

Atomic Tuning of Metal‐Support Interactions for Pathway‐Selective CO 2 Photoreduction on TiO 2

Dongyun Kim, Wonjae Ko, Byoung‐Hoon Lee, Sanghoon Kim, Yun Do Kim, Hyunsoo Ahn, Yoon Jung, Chan Woo Lee, Kug‐Seung Lee, Eunhee Gong, Junho Lee, Minho Kim, Taeghwan Hyeon, Su‐Il In

Abstract

ABSTRACT Photocatalytic CO 2 conversion demands precise control over multielectron reaction pathways to achieve selective solar fuel production. Atomically dispersed Fe and Cu catalysts on TiO 2 direct divergent photoreduction outcomes—CO via Fe and CH 4 /C 2 H 6 via Cu—through modulation of CO intermediate binding. Using in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), X‐ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, this study unveils how metal–support interactions reshape electronic structure, stabilize key intermediates, and create oxygen vacancies that enhance CO 2 adsorption in the dark. The Cu sites further promote C─C coupling, enabling multicarbon products under mild conditions. The optimized single‐atom catalysts show up to 55.7‐fold enhancement in CO and 44.5‐fold in CH 4 yields, far surpassing pristine TiO 2 . This work illustrates how rational single‐atom design can precisely manipulate reaction pathways at the atomic scale, offering a unified framework for selective photoredox catalysis in CO 2 reduction.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques · CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts · TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Energy Science & Engineering DGIST Daegu Republic of Korea

Center For Nanoparticle Research Institute For Basic Science (IBS) Seoul Republic of Korea

School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Institute of Chemical Processes Seoul National University Seoul Republic of Korea

KU‐KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology Korea University Seoul Republic of Korea

Department of Integrative Energy Engineering Korea University Seoul Republic of Korea

Department of Applied Chemistry Kyung Hee University Yongin Gyeonggi Republic of Korea

Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) Pohang Republic of Korea

Funding

National Research Foundation of Korea · Institute for Basic Science · Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea

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