Direct conversion of CO and H₂O to hydrocarbons at atmospheric pressure using a TiO_2-x/Ni photothermal catalyst

Hydrocarbon fuels can be synthesized from CO and water via K & ouml;lbel-Engelhardt synthesis, a thermocatalytic process in which temperatures of >= 200 degrees C and elevated pressures are typically needed. While light-driven hydrocarbon production by CO hydrogenation has been demonstrated under milder conditions, for this reaction H-2 must first be sourced. Here we report the direct production of hydrocarbons from CO and water at atmospheric pressure via light-driven K & ouml;lbel-Engelhardt synthesis without external heating or the addition of H-2. Using a TiO2-supported Ni catalyst, we obtain an activity of 8.83 mol(-)(CH2)(-) mol(Ni)(-1) h(-1) and C2+ selectivity higher than 55%. In situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations suggest that the migration of photogenerated electrons from TiO2 to Ni facilitates carbon-carbon coupling at the interface of the TiO2-x/Ni catalyst, which accounts for the observed high selectivity towards multi-carbon products.