Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with H2O on TiO2 and Cu/TiO2 catalysts

Photoinduced reduction of CO2 by H2O to produce CH4 and CH3OH has been investigated on wellcharacterized standard TiO2 catalysts and on a Cu2+ loaded TiO2 catalyst. The efficiency of this photoreaction depends strongly on the kind of catalyst and the ratio of H2O to CO2. Anatase TiO2, which has a large band gap and numerous surface OH groups, shows high efficiency for photocatalytic CH4 formation. Photogenerated Ti3+ ions, H and CH3 radicals are observed as reactive intermediates, by ESR at 77 K. Cu-loading of the small, powdered TiO2 catalyst (Cu/TiO2) brings about additional formation of CH3OH. XPS studies suggest that Cu+ plays a significant role in CH3OH formation.