Visible Light‐Driven Acetaldehyde Production from CO <sub>2</sub> and H <sub>2</sub> O via Synergistic Vacancies and Atomically Dispersed Cu Sites
Abstract Acetaldehyde (CH 3 CHO) is of great industrial importance and serves as a key intermediate in various organic transformations. Photocatalytic production of acetaldehyde from CO 2 represents a sustainable route compared to conventional oxidation processes. However, current photocatalytic systems often face challenges, including limited product selectivity and dependence on sacrificial reagents. Here, we present a Cd 0.6 Zn 0.4 S (CZS) photocatalyst co‐modified with sulfur vacancies and atomically dispersed Cu (Cu/CZS−Vs) for the efficient conversion of CO 2 to acetaldehyde. Charge density analysis reveals that sulfur vacancies induce charge accumulation around the adjacent metal atoms, creating active sites that strongly anchor CO 2 and H + , thereby promoting CO 2 conversion while suppressing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. The atomically dispersed Cu sites facilitate the conversion of key intermediates (i.e., *CHO and *CO) to the crucial C 2 intermediate *OCCHO, which can subsequently be converted to acetaldehyde. As a result, this catalyst achieves an acetaldehyde yield of 121.5 μmol g −1 h −1 with a selectivity of ca. 80 % via photocatalytic CO 2 conversion in the absence of sacrificial agents, along with a quantum efficiency of ca. 0.53 % at 400 nm, underscoring its potential for practical CO 2 conversion applications. These results are expected to pave the way for future developments in green chemical processes.
Authors
- Zhongliao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8391-9551)
- Jingxiang Low (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2486-6357)
- Ferdi Karadaş (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7171-9889)
- Shuaikang Sang
- Enquan Zhu
- Jian Lei
- Jing Huo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8504-455X)
- Tingting Kong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5806-0506)
- Yujie Xiong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1995-8257)
- Chao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6675-3940)
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Huaibei Normal University (CN)
- Bilkent University (TR)
- Tiangong University (CN)
- Hefei National Center for Physical Sciences at Nanoscale (CN)
- Anhui Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie
- Published
- 2025-03-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202422667
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.36
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China