The conversion of CO₂ into e-fuels by light offers a sustainable solution to close the carbon cycle. Researchers at the Laboratory for Nanometallurgy have pioneered an innovative approach to plasmon-assisted catalytic CO2 conversion using nanoscale disordered network metamaterials.
These truly-scalable advanced materials create a unique plasmonic environment, characterized by a high local density of optical states and an exceptional concentration of hotspots. This enables the efficient localization of light in ultra-small volumes, enhancing the catalytic process.
In their study, they successfully demonstrated the catalytic conversion of CO2 into carbon monoxide and methane-valuable chemical building blocks with potential applications in the production of e-fuels. The approach also offers the ability to fine-tune catalytic selectivity by adjusting the chemical composition of the plasmonic network, providing new opportunities to optimize and scale catalytic reactions across a variety of applications.
The research is now published and featured on a cover of the current issue of Nano Letters.
Wohlwend, J., Wipf O., Kiwic D., Käch S., Mächler B., Haberfehlner, G., Spolenak R. and Galinski, H. (2025), CO2 Conversion in Cu−Pd Based Disordered Network Metamaterials with Ultrasmall Mode Volumes, Nano Letters 2025 25 (10), 3906-3913. external page DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c06247
