Photocatalytic process converts carbon dioxide into ethylene with 99% selectivity

3D illustration of randomly assembled gold nanoparticles

Source: © Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

New process uses light and gold nanoparticles to hydrogenate carbon dioxide into key chemical feedstock

A new photocatalytic reaction could become the gold standard for splitting hydrogen gas. The researchers that developed the process showed how the polar, reactive species generated can convert carbon dioxide into useful hydrocarbons with high selectivity – potentially offering an alternative to more energy intensive methods like those based on the famous Fischer–Tropsch process.