Abstract

Advances towards the vision of the “solar fuels refinery” of the future are portrayed in the cover art, based on article 1400013 by G. A. Ozin and co-workers. In the article, the attributes of hydroxide groups and oxygen vacancies are identified for non-stoichiometric indium oxide photocatalytic nanoparticles in the light-assisted, gas-phase conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. The ultimate goal of this work is to facilitate an energy transition from todays unsustainable “fossil fuel economy” to a new and sustainable “carbon dioxide economy”. The cover was designed by Chenxin Qian

Abstract

The solar-to-chemical energy conversion of greenhouse gas CO2 into carbon-based fuels is a very important research challenge, with implications for both climate change and energy security. Herein, the key attributes of hydroxides and oxygen vacancies are experimentally identified in non-stoichiometric indium oxide nanoparticles, In2O3-x(OH)y, that function in concert to reduce CO2 to CO under simulated solar irradiation.