A water-stable organolead iodide material for overall photocatalytic CO₂ reduction

The utilization of perovskites as photocatalysts to convert CO₂ into fuels and chemicals has received wide attention recently. However, their instability in water hinders their long-term application for overall photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Herein, we integrate the water-stable perovskite-like organolead iodide crystalline material [Pb₈I₈(H₂O)₃]⁸⁺[^–O₂C(CH₂)₄CO₂^–]₄ (TJU-16) with Au co-catalyst for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction in aqueous solution without sacrificial reagent. Under the AM 1.5 G simulated illumination, the TJU-16 with 0.19 wt.‰ Au co-catalyst steadily generated electrons for CO₂ reduction reaction, which was 2.2 times of pure TJU-16. The Au_0.19/TJU-16 catalyzed CO₂ reduction at a rate of 84.2 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹, and achieved a solar-to-fuel (STF) conversion efficiency of 0.034%. Our work will motivate the rational design of water-stable perovskite-like materials for photocatalytic applications.