Biomimetic inspired porphyrin-based nanoframes for highly efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Abstract The development of biomimetic catalysis for efficient photoreduction of CO2 is an effective alternative to address energy problems. However, amelioration on the construction of biomimetic catalysts for elevated photocatalytic performance is still challenging and demanded. Herein, a bioinspired artificial photosynthesis system is constructed based on ZrO2 nanoframes (ZFs) and metalloporphyrin to mimic the morphology of trees. The robust backbone of the framework and the bio-inspiring porphyrins anchored on the surface of ZFs function as the strong trunk and well-ordered leaves of a tree, respectively. The biomimetic system achieves an evolution yield of 35.3 μmol during 3 h reaction with 93.1% CO selectivity and 1.84% CO apparent quantum efficiency (A.Q.E.), which is about 60.8 times larger than that of pure porphyrin (Ni) (0.58 μmol). Detailed analysis reveals that the catalytic system could not only achieve fast separation of the photogenerated carriers and effective CO2 activation but also possess suitable energy levels, which could efficiently transfer electrons to the Ni catalytic sites to improve the photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the good recycling tests could be explained by the robust supporting of frameworks as well as the strong binding of the Zr atoms and carboxyl groups of porphyrins. This work presents a simple model of biomimetic catalysts and outlines possible strategies for other biomimetic manufactures.