A Molecular CO(2) Reduction Catalyst Based on Giant Polyoxometalate {Mo(368)}

Photocatalytic CO(2) reduction in water is one of the most attractive research pursuits of our time. In this article we report a giant polyoxometalate {Mo(368)} based homogeneous catalytic system, which efficiently reduces CO(2) to formic acid with a maximum turnover number (TON) of 27,666, turnover frequency (TOF) of 4,611 h(−1) and external quantum efficiency of the reaction is 0.6%. The catalytic system oxidizes water and releases electrons, and these electrons are further utilized for the reduction of CO(2) to formic acid. A maximum of 8.3 mmol of formic acid was observed with the loading of 0.3 μmol of the catalyst. Our catalyst material is also stable throughout the reaction. The starting materials for this experiment are CO(2) and H(2)O and the end products are HCOOH and O(2). The formic acid formed in this reaction is an important H(2) gas carrier and thus significant in renewable energy research.