Boron-doped Cu-Co catalyst boosting charge transfer in photothermal carbon dioxide hydrogenation

Photothermal catalysis of CO2 hydrogenation holds great potential in achieving carbon neutrality. However, the rational design of cost-effective photothermal catalysts with high performance for CO2 hydrogenation is an ongoing challenge. Herein, we employed CuCoyBOₓ composite catalysts by incorporating both CuBOₓ and amorphous CoBOₓ to efficiently catalyze the CO2 hydrogenation. Besides the high selectivity (98.0%), the optimized CuCo5BOx demonstrated a remarkable CO yield of 124.7 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ under illumination at 300°C, which was 3 times higher than the traditional thermocatalysis. Experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrated CuBOₓ acted as a photocatalyst, donating electrons to CoBOₓ active sites. Coupling boron-oxygen species with CuCo bimetallic-oxides synergically enhanced the CO2 adsorption capacity and accelerated charge transfer, thereby enhancing the photothermal synergistic effect and consequently boosting the catalytic activity. This study establishes an approach for the rational design of non-precious metal-boride catalysts, enabling efficient photothermal conversion of CO2 into CO under mild conditions.