Direct conversion of CO and H 2 O to hydrocarbons at atmospheric pressure using a TiO 2− x /Ni photothermal catalyst

Hydrocarbon fuels can be synthesized from CO and water via Kölbel–Engelhardt synthesis, a thermocatalytic process in which temperatures of ≥200 °C and elevated pressures are typically needed. While light-driven hydrocarbon production by CO hydrogenation has been demonstrated under milder conditions, for this reaction H 2 must first be sourced. Here we report the direct production of hydrocarbons from CO and water at atmospheric pressure via light-driven Kölbel–Engelhardt synthesis without external heating or the addition of H 2 . Using a TiO 2 -supported Ni catalyst, we obtain an activity of 8.83 mol − CH2 − mol Ni −1 h −1 and C 2+ selectivity higher than 55%. In situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations suggest that the migration of photogenerated electrons from TiO 2 to Ni facilitates carbon–carbon coupling at the interface of the TiO 2 − x /Ni catalyst, which accounts for the observed high selectivity towards multi-carbon products.