Direct Air Capture and Photoconversion of CO2 to Ethylene by Defect-Tailored Cu3-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks

[Geoengineering News]

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anie.202516438

Authors: Yu-Ou He, Wen-Yi Zheng, Yong Liu, Weng-Da Zhang, Prof. Dr. Huan Pang, Prof. Dr. Jiangwei Zhang, Prof. Dr. Wang-Kang Han, Prof. Dr. Zhi-Guo Gu

First published: 04 December 2025

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202516438

Abstract

The development of efficient direct air capture (DAC) systems coupled with photocatalytic CO2 conversion is still an appealing challenge. Here, we engineered a series of defective Cu3-based metal–organic frameworks (Cu3-MOFs) for integrated atmospheric CO2 capture and in situ photoreduction. The defective Cu3-MOFs were constructed through selective removal of coordinated CO32− from pristine MOFs with HCl etching, generating unsaturated Cu active sites for CO2 harvesting, and the Cu3-MOFs demonstrated enhanced CO2 capture kinetics and capacity that compared to their pristine counterpart. Remarkably, the captured CO2 could be directly photoreduced to C2H4 with an optimal production rate of 18.25 µmol·g−1·h−1 without additional photosensitizer or sacrificial agent. The experimental and theoretical results revealed that the defective sites not only facilitated CO2 adsorption but also promoted C–C coupling of *CO intermediates, thereby enhancing C2H4 production. This work provides deep insights for designing advanced materials toward direct air-to-fuel conversion.

Source: Angewandte Chemie International Edition