Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide can be enhanced by a TiO₂ photocatalyst with graphene oxide

In a paper published in the prestigious journal Catalysis Today, the scientists confirmed the positive effect of modifying the TiO₂ photocatalyst with graphene oxide on the efficiency of photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide. During the research, they used the facilities of the ENREGAT Large Research Infrastructure (LRI).

IET researchers have long been involved in the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide. Simply put, it is the conversion of carbon dioxide, one of the most well-known greenhouse gases, into useful products. Under laboratory conditions, researchers are able to generate methane and hydrogen, which is produced from water, by photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ in the presence of water and UV light. Although this issue is being addressed by scientists all over the world, it is still basic research aimed at increasing the efficiency of the process and achieving CO₂ conversion using solar energy. Reducing CO₂ emissions is also one of the global social and environmental challenges.

“In this paper, we present the results of our research, where we investigated the effect of calcination of titanium dioxide modified with graphene oxide (TiO₂/rGO) on the efficiency of photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide. Samples of TiO₂/rGO photocatalysts were prepared at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin and their photocatalytic activity was investigated at the Institute of Environmental Technology in Ostrava. We have found that all TiO₂ samples modified by graphene oxide showed good photocatalytic activity and increased the efficiency of the reaction, which is due to graphene's excellent electron transport capabilities,” said Kamila Kočí, one of the authors of the paper.

The link with the large research infrastructure ENREGAT was essential for the work. “For the research we used the photocatalytic apparatus that we offer within the large research infrastructure,” explained Professor Kočí, who is also the chair of the international scientific council of the ENREGAT LRI.

“We cooperate with our Polish colleagues quite intensively, but so far they have been from other universities. I met Professor Morawski from the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin at a conference in China, where we presented our results on photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide. The Polish side specialises in the preparation of photocatalysts, while our group specialises in the testing of photocatalysts in various photocatalytic reactions.Since our workplaces complement each other, we have established a collaboration,” explained Kočí. 

In addition to the publication, another important result of the collaboration is the presence of a postdoc, and the co-author of the article, from the West Pomeranian University of Technology on a research internship at the Institute of Environmental Technology CEET, VSB-TUO. She intends to use the cooperation with ENREGAT for her further research.