Cobalt‐Backboned Oligomer for Record Photocatalytic CO <sub>2</sub> Conversion to Ethanol
Abstract Solar‐driven conversion of CO 2 into value‐added products is promising for renewable energy storage and carbon neutrality. Although current photocatalysts demonstrate the capability to convert CO 2 into multiple carbon products including ethanol, their performance is limited by high C─C coupling energy barrier and inefficient intermediate enrichment. Here we synthesize a cobalt‐backboned oligomer as an efficient photocatalyst to generate a record‐high ethanol production rate of 497 µmol/(g·h) for CO 2 photoreduction. It also maintains high performance in cases with simulated industrial flue gas with ∼15% CO 2 and a Martian‐like atmosphere with ∼95% CO 2 . These properties stem from unique electronic modulation through metal–metal bonding and intermolecular assembly for high‐activity reaction channels. This atomically precise cobalt‐backboned oligomer opens a new avenue for designing photocatalysts.
Authors
- Gang Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8507-7880)
- Kaiwen Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0258-2975)
- Shuya Hao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7754-1490)
- Fuyao Huang
- Yifeng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2832-2277)
- Yanruzhen Wu
- Jingyi Pang
- Xin Xu
- Xuelu Wang
- Huisheng Peng
Institutions
- Fudan University (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (CN)
- East China Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie
- Published
- 2026-01-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202521378
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00