2D MOF/COF Heterojunction for Efficient Photothermal Synergistic Catalysis of CO2 Reduction

Abstract

Photothermal synergistic catalysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction by combining the advantages of photocatalysis and thermocatalysis is an effective strategy for enhancing the efficiency of solar-to-fuel conversion. However, it is still a great challenge to integrate the high photothermal effect and charge separation efficiency simultaneously in one system. Herein, a type of bonded 2D Metal organic framework (MOF)/Covalent organic framework (COF) heterostructure with the same linker is constructed for efficient photothermal synergistic catalysis of CO2 reduction. In this system, an S-scheme heterojunction interface is formed between the MOF (CAT-1) and COF-316 through planar conjugated molecules, which facilitates the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. CAT-1 serves as a photoinduced self-heating component and simultaneously provides active metal sites for CO2 reduction, enabling efficient photothermal conversion under visible-near-infrared light. As a result, a series of CAT-1/COF-316 composites delivered enhanced photothermal catalytic activity for CO2 reduction without adding additional photosensitizers, with the optimal CO production rate of 263.63 µmol g−1 h−1. Detailed control experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the superior photothermal catalytic CO2 reduction performance of CAT-1/COF-316 is attributed to the synergistic effect of photo-thermal processes and highly improved charge separation. The present work provides a potential strategy for developing highly-efficient photothermal catalysts in artificial photosynthesis.