PATENT

Visible light photoreduction of

CO2 using heterostructured
catalysts
The United States Government has right in this invention
pursuant to the employer relationship of the Government
of the inventors as U.S. Department of Energy employees
and site-support contractors at the national energy
technology laboratory
Field of invention
One or more embodiments are related to a sensitized
photocatalyst reduction of CO2 under visible light illumination.

Background

The aim of this patent is provide a method of photocatalytic

ally reducing O2 under visible light illumination utilizing a
sensitized photocatalyst in a CO2 and H2O environment.
Fig 1. Position of CB and VB. Fig 2. It shows CB and VB
associated with CdSe and TiO2
Invention
The photosensitized catalyst that is comprised of a wide band gap
semiconductor (TiO2), a transition metal co-catalyst (Pt) and a semiconductor
sensitizer (CdSe)

The purpose is to form a Type II band

alignment

Methodology
1. A CdSe/Pt/TiO2 was synthesized using commercial P25 TiO2
nanoparticles.
2. The Pt was incorporated by wet impregnation method
3. Two sizes of CdSe were used (2.5 nm and 6 nm diameter)
4. The catalysts were conducted with a GC, the cell was purged
for 15 minutes with CO2 which had been bubbled through
H2O
Fig 3. CO2 peaks after hours of
irradiation
Conclusions

The method provides after a series of control

experiments under visible light (>420 nm),
methane (48 ppm/g.h), methanol (3.3 ppm), H2
(trace) and CO (trace) were observed using the
GC, Only vapour phase methanol is detected
with GC.

The conversion rates were consisted with the ,

the composition of the products and they
depend on the metal co-catalyst load.