High-performance monolithic microreactor with a novel pod-shaped NF@Cu/g-C3N4 for enhanced visible light reduction of CO2 to methanol.

Thin films of CuO wrapped around a skeleton were synthesised using nickel foam (NF) as a carrier and g-C 3 N 4 was embedded in it to generate NF@Cu/g-C 3 N 4 monolithic catalysts. The slow kinetics of photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 and the low quantum efficiency achieved, which is directly related to the photocatalyst and reactor configurations, limit the wide application of this technology. In light of this, a novel pod-like NF@Cu/g-C 3 N 4 monolithic photomicroreactor system was developed in this study to improve the efficiency of visible light-responsive CO 2 reduction to methanol. Micro-morphology and pore volume characterization showed that the incorporation of CuO and g-C 3 N 4 significantly increased the specific surface area and pore volume of Ni foam. The novel monolithic photomicro reactor was evaluated using methanol yield as an indicator, and the experimental results showed that the performance of the mesoporous NF@Cu/g-C 3 N 4 photomicroreactor was significantly better than that of the NF@CuO photomicroreactor as well as the tubular reactor. The average CH 3 OH yields were 6.47 and 9.85 times higher than those of pure CuO and pure g-C 3 N 4. The results showed that the methanol concentration and yield tended to increase and then decrease with the increase in liquid flow rate. The experimental results fully demonstrate the superiority of the newly developed NF@Cu/g-C 3 N 4 monolithic photomicroreaction system in enhancing the CO 2 photoreduction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]