In situ preparation of polymeric cobalt phthalocyanine–decorated TiO2 nanorods for efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction

The integration of photosensitizers with low-cost and non-toxic metal oxides is a promising strategy to design heterogeneous photocatalysts for CO2 reduction. Herein, p–n heterojunction photocatalysts (T-CoPPcs) consisting of p-type polymeric cobalt phthalocyanines (CoPPcs) as a photosensitizer coupled with n-type TiO2 nanorods were fabricated through a facile, eco-friendly, one-pot hydrothermal reaction. In this process, CoPPcs were grown on n-type TiO2 nanorods, whereas protonated titanate nanorods began converting to the highly crystalline anatase phase with small crystals on the TiO2 surfaces. The introduction of CoPPcs not only improved the solar light utilization but also accelerated the separation and migration of charge carriers via the p–n heterojunction with the strong interfacial contact Ti–O–Co bond. The increases in crystallinity and surface area of TiO2 nanorods also contributed to the enhanced photoactivities of T-CoPPcs. The CO2 photoreduction of the synthesized materials was evaluated in CO2-saturated MeCN/water using [Co(bpy)3]2+ as a cocatalyst and triethanolamine as a hole scavenger. The optimized nanocomposite exhibited a remarkable CO generation rate of 4.42 mmol/h/g with a high selectivity of 85.3% and outstanding catalytic stability. The influences of cocatalyst concentration, water content, catalyst loading, and hole scavenger concentration were optimized for efficient CO2 reduction. The photocatalytic CO2 conversion efficiency of the present system is found to be higher than that of TiO2-based materials reported in the literature. We believe that this research into a heterostructural design strategy and photocatalytic system may be an inspiration for the development of photocatalytic CO2-to-CO conversion. Polymeric cobalt phthalocyanines supported on TiO2 nanorods (T-CoPPc nanocomposites) were synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal polymerization for highly efficient and selective photocatalytic CO2-to-CO conversion. [Display omitted] •A one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of polymeric cobalt phthalocyanines (CoPPcs) supported on TiO2 nanorods (TNRs) (T-CoPPcs) was developed.•Surface hydroxyl groups of TNRs played a vital role in the interaction with CoPPcs and [Co(bpy)3]2+.•The presence of CoPPcs enhanced the solar light utilization and the charge separation.•The stable nanohybrid exhibited efficient and selective CO2-to-CO conversion.