Construction of Atomically Dispersed Ni on Tensile‐Strained TiO <sub>2</sub> for Enhanced Photocatalytic Reduction of CO <sub>2</sub> to HCOOH
Abstract Solar‐driven photocatalytic CO 2 reduction offers a promising pathway for sustainable fuel production; however, its efficiency is hindered by rapid carrier recombination and slow surface reaction kinetics. In this study, tensile‐strained Ni/TiO 2 catalysts are synthesized via the in situ topological transformation of bimetallic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). By modulating the ethylene glycol/water solvent ratios (a 3:1 volume ratio achieving 3% lattice expansion), precise control over strain levels is achieved. Advanced characterization confirms the incorporation of atomically dispersed penta‐coordinate Ni species into TiO 2 lattices. The induced strain not only facilitates the efficient separation and migration of photogenerated carriers but also enhances CO 2 adsorption capacity, resulting in a significant HCOOH yield of 140.0 µmol g −1 h −1 for Ni/TiO 2 ‐EG45, which is ≈5 times higher than that of low‐strain counterparts. Furthermore, introducing H 2 O 2 promotes proton‐coupled electron transfer, thereby further enhancing both the yield (242.7 µmol g −1 h −1 ) and selectivity (≈100%) of HCOOH production. This strain engineering approach provides novel insights into microenvironment regulation for designing highly efficient photocatalytic systems.
Authors
- Jiaming Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4821-3510)
- Shen Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2075-0074)
- Fei Tian
- Jian Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9684-339X)
- Yiwei Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1997-9218)
- Changchao Jia
- Huimin Hao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5910-1127)
Institutions
- Qingdao University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2025-08-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202515558
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.36
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province
- Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Bureau