Abstract
The photoreduction of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) to valuable fuels is a promising strategy for the prevention of rising atmospheric levels of CO(2) and the depletion of fossil fuel reserves. However, most reported photocatalysts are only active in the ultraviolet region, which necessitates co-catalysts and sacrificial agents in the reaction systems, leading to an unsatisfied economy of the process in energy and atoms. In this research, a CuMo(x)W((1-x))O(4) solid solution was synthesized, characterized, and tested for the photocatalytic reduction of CO(2) in the presence of amines. The results revealed that the yield of CH(3)OH from CO(2) was 1017.7 μmol/g under 24 h visible light irradiation using CuW(0.7)Mo(0.3)O(4) (x = 0.7) as the catalyst. This was associated with the maximum conversion (82.1%) of benzylamine to N-benzylidene benzylamine with high selectivity (>99%). These results give new insight into the photocatalytic reduction of CO(2) for valuable chemical products in an economic way.