Artificial Photosynthesis of Glycolaldehyde and Syngas from Plastic Feedstocks via Boron‐Functionalized Nickel Species on CdS

Glycolaldehyde is an important intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and biodegradable plastics. Artificial photosynthesis of glycolaldehyde from plastic waste provides a sustainable approach for waste recycling and solar energy utilization. However, the inertness of plastic substrates and unselective photoredox make it challenging to generate valuable aldehydes or other market-demanded products. Here we demonstrate co-production of glycolaldehyde and syngas from the photoreforming of polyethylene terephthalate via an electron-proton cascade redox using a boron-functionalized nickel species modified CdS photocatalyst (Ni_nB@Ni-BO_x/CdS) under ambient conditions. We confirm the surface specie as a nickel boride@nickel borate core-shell nanoarchitecture with dual functions, serving as a reduction cocatalyst and facilitating electron-proton cascade transfer. The feature boosts charge separation and reactant molecule activation for an efficient cooperative redox. The optimized photocatalyst exhibits a glycolaldehyde generation of 1068.3 µmol g_cat ^-1 h^-1 with a selectivity of 66.3%, as well as a syngas generation of 3232.2 µmol g_cat ^-1 h^-1 with a tuneable H₂/CO ratio. The finding demonstrates the solar-driven synthesis of value-added and multifunctional products from plastic waste as a sustainable and economically promising strategy.