Highly efficient, near-infrared-featured CO2 reduction by surface plasmon

To synthesize hydrocarbons via sunlight, CO2 and water is commonly seen in the nature, especially in the plant kingdom, but it remains an inviting challenging in science amidst growing interest in pursuing new and clean energy. Recently, a research team led by Prof. Xiong Jieyu from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) reports a broadband plasmon-induced CO2 reduction reaction, which achieves a CH4 production rate of 0.55mmol g-1 h-1 with 100% selectivity to hydrocarbon products. The work is published in Nature Communications.