Data_Sheet_1_A Molecular CO2 Reduction Catalyst Based on Giant Polyoxometalate {Mo368}.PDF

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction in water is one of the most attractive research pursuits of our time. In this article we report a giant polyoxometalate {Mo₃₆₈} based homogeneous catalytic system, which efficiently reduces CO₂ to formic acid with a maximum turnover number (TON) of 27,666, turnover frequency (TOF) of 4,611 h⁻¹ and external quantum efficiency of the reaction is 0.6%. The catalytic system oxidizes water and releases electrons, and these electrons are further utilized for the reduction of CO₂ to formic acid. A maximum of 8.3 mmol of formic acid was observed with the loading of 0.3 μmol of the catalyst. Our catalyst material is also stable throughout the reaction. The starting materials for this experiment are CO₂ and H₂O and the end products are HCOOH and O₂. The formic acid formed in this reaction is an important H₂ gas carrier and thus significant in renewable energy research.