Volume 133, Issue 9 pp. 4922-4928
Forschungsartikel

Hot-Electron-Induced Photothermal Catalysis for Energy-Dependent Molecular Oxygen Activation

Wei Zhang

Wei Zhang

Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China

Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China

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Dr. Yu Chen

Dr. Yu Chen

Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China

Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China

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Dr. Gong Zhang

Dr. Gong Zhang

Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China

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Dr. Xiao Tan

Dr. Xiao Tan

Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China

Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541006 China

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Dr. Qinghua Ji

Corresponding Author

Dr. Qinghua Ji

Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China

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Dr. Zhaowu Wang

Dr. Zhaowu Wang

School of Physics and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Henan Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Energy Storage Materials and Applications, Luoyang, Henan, 471023 China

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Prof. Huijuan Liu

Prof. Huijuan Liu

Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China

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Prof. Jiuhui Qu

Prof. Jiuhui Qu

Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China

Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China

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First published: 16 November 2020
Citations: 10

Abstract

Hot electrons activate reactants and reduce the activation energy barrier (Ea) of a reaction through electron donation. However, a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic driving force of this electron-donating effect is lacking, let alone the precise manipulation of electron donation processes. Herein, the essential and promotional role of hot electron energy on the electron-donating effect was elucidated using molecular oxygen activation (MOA) as a model reaction. Through providing an available electron source to the conventional photo-thermal conversion system, the high energy carried by hot electrons was liberated and greatly enhanced the electron donation towards the LUMO (π*) orbit of O2. The energy was also transferred to O2 and elevated the potential energy surface (PES) of MOA, which was reflected by the enhanced formation of superoxide oxygen anions. As predicted, the Ea of MOA decreased by 45.1 % and exhibited a substantial light dependence, demonstrating that MOA became energy-efficient due to improved exploitation and conversion of photon energies.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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