Visible-light-driven CO2 reduction with carbon nitride: enhancing the activity of ruthenium catalysts.

A heterogeneous photocatalyst system that consists of a ruthenium complex and carbon nitride (C3N4), which act as the catalytic and light-harvesting units, respectively, was developed for the reduction of CO2 into formic acid. Promoting the injection of electrons from C3N4 into the ruthenium unit as well as strengthening the electronic interactions between the two units enhanced its activity. The use of a suitable solvent further improved the performance, resulting in a turnover number of greater than 1000 and an apparent quantum yield of 5.7% at 400 nm. These are the best values that have been reported for heterogeneous photocatalysts for CO2 reduction under visible-light irradiation to date.