Light and Heat Team Up to Turn CO₂ into Valuable Chemicals

Finding ways to turn captured CO₂ into valuable products is a key goal in green chemistry. One promising route is converting it into dimethyl carbonate, a useful industrial chemical. However, conventional methods relying solely on heat have hit a performance ceiling.

A new study introduces a powerful solution: combining infrared (IR) photons and thermal energy. Researchers designed a cerium oxide catalyst, free from expensive noble metals, with specific defects. These defects act like antennae, absorbing IR light to kick-start the chemical reaction. This process generates just the right amount of energy to create the desired product without causing unwanted side-reactions, a problem known as overoxidation.

The addition of gentle heat then helps the reaction run smoothly and efficiently. This co-driven catalysis strategy achieves a production rate of 30 mmol/g/h with perfect selectivity, marking a significant advance in CO₂ utilisation technology.