Elsevier, Journal of Catalysis, (306), p. 184-189, 2013
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2013.06.027
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Photodeposition of Au nanoparticles was found to enhance the rate of photocatalytic CO2 reduction to short hydrocarbons over titanate species in SBA-15. Product formation from contaminants was ruled out experimentally by a thorough pre-cleaning of the samples and the leak-tight design of the fully metal-sealed gas-phase photoreactor. Without Au, an active carbon pool was observed to accumulate on the catalyst, and higher hydrocarbons were formed. Infrared spectroscopy was used to identify formaldehyde/paraformaldehyde as major compounds of the carbon pool. The results obtained in the absence of gas-phase water indicate that adsorbed water in the mesopores is sufficient to achieve CO2 reduction and convert CO2 mainly to methane. These results contribute to the knowledge-based improvement of photocatalysts for CO2 reduction.