Black indium oxide a photothermal CO2 hydrogenation catalyst

Abstract

Nanostructured forms of stoichiometric In₂O₃ are proving to be efficacious catalysts for the gas-phase hydrogenation of CO₂. These conversions can be facilitated using either heat or light; however, until now, the limited optical absorption intensity evidenced by the pale-yellow color of In₂O₃ has prevented the use of both together. To take advantage of the heat and light content of solar energy, it would be advantageous to make indium oxide black. Herein, we present a synthetic route to tune the color of In₂O₃ to pitch black by controlling its degree of non-stoichiometry. Black indium oxide comprises amorphous non-stoichiometric domains of In₂O_3-x on a core of crystalline stoichiometric In₂O₃, and has 100% selectivity towards the hydrogenation of CO₂ to CO with a turnover frequency of 2.44 s⁻¹.

The utilization of white-colored, wide-bandgap CO₂ hydrogenation photocatalysts has been hindered by their limited light-harvesting ability. By making stoichiometric white indium oxide non-stoichiometric and black, it is transformed from a highly inactive to a highly active photothermal catalyst.