CO2 photoreduction with high selectivity of C2H4 production on conjugated microporous polymer with Cu single atoms

Selective conversion of CO 2 to fuels and chemicals has been considered one of the key challenges in the photocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction. The multi-electron reduction reaction requires the design of photocatalysts that can adsorb CO 2 and transfer electrons. Herein, Cu single atoms are confined in a conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) to construct Cu n @CMP photocatalyst for CO 2 reduction to produce C 2 H 4 and CH 4 . By adjusting Cu loading, Cu 0.012 @CMP exhibited a high performance with production yields of 236.81 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 for C 2 H 4 , and 78.2 % selectivity for C 2 H 4 formation. DFT calculations displayed the band structure and confirmed Cu–N together with characterization. The in situ DRIFTS revealed *CH 2 and *C 2 H 4 as key reaction intermediates to form CH 4 and C 2 H 4 , respectively. The synergy effect in Cu single-atoms and CMP contributed greatly to C–C coupling and interfacial charge transfer, thus achieving excellent activity for conversion of CO 2 to C 1 /C 2 . This work highlights the potential for constructing Cu single atoms on CMP to produce highly selective C 2 H 4 .