Visible‐Light Direct Conversion of Ethanol to 1,1‐Diethoxyethane and Hydrogen over a Non‐Precious Metal Photocatalyst

Converting renewable biomass and their derivatives into chemicals and fuels has received much attention to reduce the dependence on fossil resources. Photocatalytic ethanol dehydrogenation–acetalization to prepare value‐added 1,1‐diethoxyethane and H 2 was achieved over non‐precious metal CdS/Ni‐MoS 2 catalyst under visible light. The system displays an excellent production rate and high selectivity of 1,1‐diethoxyethane, 52.1 mmol g −1 h −1 and 99.2 %, respectively. In‐situ electron spin resonance, photoluminescence spectroscopy and transient photocurrent responses were conducted to investigate the mechanism. This study provides a promising strategy for a green application of bioethanol.