Small Conjugated Organic Ligand-Modified Polyoxometalate-Based Hybrid Materials for Boosting Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction to value-added chemicals is a multielectron transfer process, and the crucial step is the synthesis of photocatalysts. The introduction of small conjugated organic ligands can make the catalytic active site of the compound easier to be exposed in the reaction system and fully contact with the substrate, accelerating the photocatalytic reaction process. In this paper, we synthesized two isomorphic compounds, namely, {[Co(mtrz)(3)center dot(H2O)(2)](2)center dot[SiW12O40]}center dot 6H(2)O (1) and {[Ni(mtrz)(3)center dot(H2O)(2)](2)center dot[SiW12O40]}center dot 6H(2)O (2) (mtrz = 1-methyl-1,2,4-triazole). We found that compound 1 has a great photocatalytic performance through a series of experiments, with a CO reduction yield of 7364.92 mu mol g(-1) h(-1) and a CO selectivity of 82.5%. Furthermore, the high catalytic activity can be maintained over four cycle experiments. The catalytic mechanism of its photocatalytic system is also elucidated, which provides an idea for realizing efficient catalytic reduction of CO2 to CO.