Isolated Cobalt Centers on W₁₈O₄₉ Nanowires Perform as a Reaction Switch for Efficient CO₂ Photoreduction

Isolated cobalt atoms have been successfully decorated onto the surface of W₁₈O₄₉ ultrathin nanowires. The Co-atom-decorated W₁₈O₄₉ nanowires (W₁₈O₄₉@Co) greatly accelerate the charge carrier separation and electron transport in the catalytic system. Moreover, the surface decoration with Co atoms modifies the energy configuration of the W₁₈O₄₉@Co hybrid and thus boosts the redox capability of photoexcited electrons for CO₂ reduction. The decorated Co atoms work as the real active sites and, perhaps more importantly, perform as a reaction switch to enable the reaction to proceed. The optimized catalyst delivers considerable activity for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, yielding an impressive CO generation rate of 21.18 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹.