SOLCO2CHEM

This project focuses on (solar)-light driven photoreduction of CO₂ to ethylene, using Cu-based catalysts, aiming at the same time to mitigate CO2 emissions, and produce rich chemicals using exclusively solar photons. As known, the formation of C2H4 involves a complex twelve-electron transfer and multiple proton-coupled steps, resulting in low selectivity and competing reactions. So far, Cu-based materials are promising (electro- and thermo-)catalysts for CO2 reduction, however solar-driven photocatalytic reduction routes are still scarcely studied. Cu-catalysts uniquely enable both CO₂ activation and C–C coupling, but their efficiency is limited by the instability of Cu⁰/Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ active species onto the photo-active support to both prevent deactivation and ensure high product selectivity.

To achieve this, the project explores mesostructured Cu/CeO2-TiO₂ photocatalysts, enabling CO2 adsorption/activation, improved dispersion and stabilization of Cu active species, efficient charge carrier separation, and visible-light harvesting. It will contribute to developing efficient, stable, and cost-effective photocatalytic systems for solar-driven CO₂ conversion into C2H4, using only solar energy as low carbon-emission process.