Light-switching chemistry for photocatalytic methane oxidation over quantum dots

Selective photocatalytic oxidation of methane to oxygenates under ambient temperature at high productivities is a challenging problem in modern chemistry. In a recent issue of Nature Sustainability, Tang and co-workers reported selective oxidation of methane to methanol and formaldehyde under visible and UV light, respectively, by using quantum-sized bismuth vanadate nanoparticles.