Photothermal catalytic CO2 hydrogenation to methanol on Au/In2O3 nanowires

Converting CO₂ into energy-rich fuels and high-value chemicals using solar energy is one of the sustainable solutions to mitigate reliance on fossil fuels, yet attaining the required conversion efficiency and selectivity to products such as methanol remains challenging. Here, we present In₂O₃ nanowires decorated with plasmonic Au nanoparticles with improved activity for photothermal CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol. Under light irradiation, the localized surface plasmon resonance induced by the Au nanoparticles alleviates the thermodynamic constraints of methanol synthesis. This results in a significant increase in methanol production rate (320 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹) alongside meaningful improvement in methanol selectivity compared with the purely thermal catalytic process. This work provides insights into the benefits of harnessing plasmonic nanoparticles to improve upon thermocatalysis via light utilization.