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[[Vol. 20]Hydrocarbon photocatalysts get in shape and go for gold_ WPI-MANA.pdf](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/filesets/c787f0fc-02e4-4060-a456-c151b0b797a5/download)

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International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA)

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[[Research Highlights Vol.20] Hydrocarbon photocatalysts get in shape and go for gold](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/datasets/f5321b70-e4c3-4dfa-a991-a6b9ba51f411)

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2022/04/04 10:20 Hydrocarbon photocatalysts get in shape and go for gold| MANAhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol20.html 1/2Previous  Index  NextResearch Highlights[Vol. 20]Hydrocarbon photocatalysts get in shape and go for gold10 Mar, 2015A combination of semiconductor catalysts, optimum catalyst shape, gold-copper co-catalyst alloy nanoparticles and hydrous hydrazine reducing agentenables an increase of hydrocarbon generation from CO2 by a factor of ten.Figure: A combination approach increases the generation of hyrdrocarbons from CO2 by a factorof ten. A) Scanning electron microscope image, the white arrows indicate the holes in thetubewall; B) Xray diffraction pattern of strontium titanate (STO)-titania (TiO2) coaxial nanotubearrays; C) transmission electron microscope image of Au3Cu@STO/TiO2 nanotube arrays; D)High-resolution transmission electron microscope image and fast Fourier transform pattern ofAu3Cu nanoparticles.“Solar-energy-driven conversion of CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels can simultaneously generatechemical fuels to meet energy demand and mitigate rising CO2 levels,” explain Jinhua Ye and hercolleagues at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics in their latest report. Nowthe research team have identified the conditions and catalysts that will maximise the yield ofhydrocarbons from CO2, generating ten times previously reported production rates.Carbon dioxide can be converted into a hydrocarbon by means of ‘reduction reactions’ - a type ofreaction that involves reducing the oxygen content of a molecule, increasing the hydrogen contentor increasing the electrons. In photocatalytic reduction of CO2 light activates the catalyst for thereaction.https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol19.htmlhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/index.htmlhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol21.html2022/04/04 10:20 Hydrocarbon photocatalysts get in shape and go for gold| MANAhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol20.html 2/2Ye and her team introduced four approaches that each contributed to an increased reaction rate.First, they combined two known semiconductor photocatalysts strontium titanate (STO) and titania(TiO2) – which led to the separation of the charges generated by light and hence a more effectivephotocatalyst. Second, the high surface area of the nanotubes was made greater by holes in thetube surfaces, which enhances catalysis by increasing the contact between the gases andcatalysts. Third, the tubes were decorated with gold-copper (Au3Cu) nanoparticle co-catalysts tofurther enhance the catalysis, and fourth, they used hydrous hydrazine (N2H4•H2O) as the sourceof hydrogen.Although the high hydrogen content of hydrous hydrazine is widely recognised in the context ofhydrogen storage there are no previous reports of its use for reduction reactions. The researchersdemonstrated that the reducing properties of hydrous hydrazine were so great that oxidation ofthe co-catalytic nanoparticles – a problem when water or hydrogen are used - was avoided.The researchers conclude their report, “This opens a feasible route to enhance the photocatalyticefficiency, which also aids the development of photocatalysts and co-catalysts.”Reference"Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide by hydrous hydrazine over Au–Cu alloy nanoparticlessupported on SrTiO3/TiO2 coaxial nanotube arrays"Qing Kang, Tao Wang, Peng Li, Lequan Liu, Kun Chang, Mu Li, and Jinhua YeJournal : Angewandte Chemie International Edition 54, 841 –845, (2015).DOI : 10.1002/anie.201409183AffiliationsInternational Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for MaterialsScience (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, JapanContact informationInternational Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics(WPI-MANA)National Institute for Materials Science1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 JapanPhone: +81-29-860-4710E-mail: mana-pr[AT]ml.nims.go.jphttps://samurai.nims.go.jp/profiles/jinhua_ye?locale=enhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.201409183