Ru(II) Polypyridyl Complexes-Sensitized TiO2 Nanotubes for Photoreduction of CO2 Aqueous Solution

Ruthenium (II) polypyridyl complexes modified titanium dioxide materials with anatase phase, the length of 10-100 nm, were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction experiments were performed in sensitized TiO2 aqueous suspensions under UV-Vis light in closed systems. And only methanol was detected in the liquid phase under the experiment condition. The effect of different photosensitizers content on the photoactivity of TiO2 was also studied, showing that Ru(BiDiPy)(2)(NCS)(2) sensitized TiO2 was the optimal photocatalyst in transformation of CO2 to methanol. A possible mechanism for the photocatalytic reduction was also proposed in this paper.