Abstract
The photochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into energy-rich products can potentially address some of the critical challenges we face today, including energy resource shortages and greenhouse gas emissions. Our ab initio calculations show that CO2 molecules can be spontaneously activated on the clean nonpolar surfaces of wurtzite metal nitrides, for example, Ga(In)N. We have further demonstrated the photoreduction of CO2 into methanol (CH3OH) with sunlight as the only energy input. A conversion rate of CO2 into CH3OH (∼0.5 mmol gcat -1 h-1) is achieved under visible light illumination (>400 nm). Moreover, we have discovered that the photocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction can be drastically enhanced by incorporating a small amount of Mg dopant. The definitive role of Mg dopant in Ga(In)N, at both the atomic and device levels, has been identified. This study reveals the potential of III-nitride semiconductor nanostructures in solar-powered reduction of CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 246-252 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | ACS Energy Letters |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 8 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Climate Change and Emissions Management (CCEMC) Corporation. Part of the work was performed in the Microfabrication Facility at McGill University. Electron microscopy images and analysis were carried out at the Canadian Center for Electron Microscopy, a National facility supported by NSERC, the Canada Foundation for Innovation under the MSI program, and McMaster University. The authors would like to acknowledge Mr. F. A. Chowdhury for his assistance with the MBE operation. B.A. acknowledges the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. X.K. thanks the Chinese Scholarship Council for support. The authors wish to thank CalcuQuebec and Compute Canada for computation facilities.