Harvesting
solar energy and converting excess carbon dioxide (CO2)
in the atmosphere into energetic products hold promise in
addressing both problems of detrimental energy use and serious greenhouse
gas effects. Catalytic activity and selectivity were the most important
aspects of this investigation. Herein, an N-Fe2O3/TiO2 catalyst was reported as well as the development
of a customized method for regulating the catalytic properties and
mechanism for CO2 reduction. This method enabled elevated
electron transfer and regulated formation of target products (formic
acid and ethanol) and control of the specific product proportions.
Under optimal photoelectrochemical selective conditions, the maximal
rate of formic acid production reached 74896.13 nmol h–1 cm–2 with a selectivity of 99.89%. Such a catalyst
and controlled artificial methods can ensure catalyst selectivity
and activity and offer potential applications in the production of
useful chemicals from CO2 carbon feedstock.