High-performance photothermal catalytic CO2 reduction to CH4 and CO by ABO3 (A = La, Ce; B = Ni, Co, Fe) perovskite nanomaterials

The synthesis of renewable fuel by CO2 reduction is a promising research direction. The CO2 reduction reaction may be promoted using photothermal catalysis to achieve efficient CO2 conversion under mild conditions. In this context, designing efficient catalysts is urgent. In this work, ABO3 (A = La, Ce; B = Ni, Co, Fe) perovskite catalysts were prepared by coprecipitation and calcination. Experimental results show that the A-site ions and B-site ions in ABO3 perovskite nanomaterials have a great influence on their structure and photothermal catalytic performance. Among them, the LaNiO3 catalyst shows excellent photothermal catalytic performance in the conversion of CO2 to CO and CH4, which can generate 0.16 mmol g−1 h−1 CO and 1.38 mmol g−1 h−1 CH4 at low CO2 and H2 concentrations. For the LaNiO3 sample, its enhancement of catalytic performance mainly benefits from the largest number of active sites, the fastest carrier transport rate, and a relatively suitable band edge position compared with other catalysts. This study proposes a new method for improving the activity and selectivity of photothermal CO2 reduction and offers a new direction for the recycling of waste gas.