Promoted Photothermal Catalytic CO Hydrogenation by Using TiC‐Supported Co−Fe5C2 Catalysts

• Published in: Chemistry : a European journal 2023-02, Vol.29 (7), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Jiang, Haoyang, Zhu, Feng, Zhou, Renjie, Wang, Linyu, Xiao, Yongcheng, Zhong, Miao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: C2+ hydrocarbons; Carbon monoxide; Catalysts; Chemistry; CO hydrogenation; Hot electrons; Hydrocarbons; Hydrogenation; metal carbides; photothermal catalyst; Photothermal conversion; Selectivity; Solar energy; Surface chemistry; surface plasmon resonance
• ISSN: 0947-6539; 1521-3765
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.202202891

Photothermal catalytic CO hydrogenation offers the potential to synthesize light hydrocarbons by using solar energy. However, the selectivity and activity of the reaction are still far below those achieved in conventional thermal catalytic processes. Herein, we report that the Co‐modified Fe5C2 on TiC catalyst promotes photothermal catalytic CO hydrogenation with a 59 % C2+ selectivity in the produced hydrocarbons and a 30 % single‐pass CO conversion at a high gas hourly space–time velocity of 12 000 mL g−1 h−1. Using in‐situ‐irradiated XPS, we show that light‐induced hot electron injection from TiC to Fe5C2 modulates the chemical state of Fe, thereby increasing the CO‐to‐C2+ conversion. This work suggests that it is possible for plasmon‐mediated surface chemistry to enhance the activity and selectivity of photothermal catalytic reactions. Co‐Fe5C2/TiC catalysts absorb light from the visible to near‐infrared regions for efficient photo‐to‐thermal conversion. Plasmonic hot‐electron injection from TiC to Fe5C2 further modulates the chemical states of Fe on the Fe5C2 surfaces, enabling a 7.2‐fold increase in C2+ yield in photothermal CO hydrogenation.