Journal of CO2 Utilization最新文献

{"title":"Engineering long-term antibacterial PLA packaging: Controlled release of thymol co-amorphous pairs via supercritical solvent impregnation","authors":"Adrián Rojas ,&nbsp;Irena Zizovic ,&nbsp;Paulina Cheuquepan ,&nbsp;Hans Lagos ,&nbsp;Mariusz Nowak ,&nbsp;Gonzalo Aguila ,&nbsp;María Galotto ,&nbsp;Ximena Valenzuela","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103341","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103341","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid release of active compounds often limits the development of active food packaging with long-term antimicrobial effects. This study proposes an innovative and sustainable solution by integrating cocrystallization and supercritical fluid technologies to create a controlled-release system. Herein is investigated the impregnation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) foams with thymol (THY) - phenazine (PHE) cocrystal pairs via supercritical solvent impregnation at 40 °C and 12–18 MPa, analyzing the impact of different isobaric cooling rates (0.3 and 1.5 °C/min) on particle deposition and release kinetics. Submicron THY-PHE co-amorphous pairs were successfully deposited within the PLA matrix, with particle size dependent on the cooling rate. These pairs exhibited significantly slower release kinetics than pure THY, with a release rate constant up to 12 times lower. Consequently, PLA foams loaded with THY-PHE pairs demonstrated prolonged antibacterial activity, completely inhibiting <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> and <em>Escherichia coli</em> for up to 192 h with concentrations three times lower than those required for pure THY. This work presents a robust, environmentally friendly, method for engineering advanced packaging materials with tailored, long-term release of active agents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103341"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146025331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Boron-driven oxygen-vacancy enrichment and VOX dispersion in SAPO-34 for robust CO2-ODHP","authors":"Reza Asadi,&nbsp;Jafar Towfighi Darian,&nbsp;Masoud Safari Yazd","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103352","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103352","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We report a boron-modified vanadia@SAPO-34 catalyst (V@SP-B) that integrates Lewis-acidic B^3 + sites with redox-active VO_X species to enhance CO₂-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (CO₂-ODHP). The catalyst, synthesized via H₃BO₃ etching and VO(acac)₂ impregnation, forms a hierarchical micro–mesoporous nanoreactor. XRD confirms CHA framework retention with smaller crystallites (31 vs 37 nm), while FT-IR and Raman reveal new B–O/B–O–B bonds, intensified V<img>O vibrations, and vacancy markers indicating increased defect density. HR-XPS shows framework reorganization with higher B³⁺ incorporation (66 %), elevated V⁴⁺/V⁵⁺ ratio (1.3), and a significantly higher oxygen-vacancy ratio (OV/OL = 2.4). Textural analysis demonstrates enhanced surface area (515 m² g⁻¹) and pore volume (0.46 cm³ g⁻¹). Redox and acid–base studies confirm easier reducibility, stronger hydrogen spillover, enhanced dispersion of active sites (11.4 %), increased acidity (828 µmol g⁻¹), and improved CO₂ binding (155 µmol g⁻¹). MD simulations support these findings, revealing stronger CO₂ adsorption and lower vacancy formation and reaction barriers. Catalytically, at 550 °C and C₃H₈/CO₂ = 2, V@SP-B achieves 18.1 % conversion, 13.7 % yield, and ∼77 % selectivity, maintaining stability over 36 h. The study establishes a direct structure–property–performance relationship driven by boron-induced acid–redox synergy, oxygen-vacancy enrichment, and hierarchical porosity for selective, durable CO₂-ODHP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103352"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ferrocene-linked triazine-based porous organic polymers as multifunctional platforms for CO2 recognition, separation and utilization","authors":"Mohamed Gamal Mohamed ,&nbsp;Wei-Chun Huang ,&nbsp;Mohsin Ejaz ,&nbsp;Yang-Chin Kao ,&nbsp;Yen-Min Lo ,&nbsp;Ahmed A.K. Mohammed ,&nbsp;Yen-Ling Kuan ,&nbsp;Shiao-Wei Kuo","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103356","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103356","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of efficient materials that can capture CO₂ and catalyze its conversion into value-added organic compounds is critically important. The concept of CO₂ Capture and Utilization (CCU) is gradually gaining the attention of researchers. In this study, we designed and synthesized ferrocene and triazine-based porous organic polymers (POP), named FC-TPT-POP and FC-TPT-Ph-POP, through a Schiff base reaction for CO₂ capture, and utilized them as catalysts to transform CO₂ and various epoxides into cyclic carbonates via a cycloaddition process. The FC-TPT-POP showed high surface area (797 m² g⁻¹) and microporosity. The presence of high surface area, porosity, and triazine units having nitrogen basic sites showed excellent selective CO₂ capture (3.34 mmol g⁻¹ at 1 bar pressure/273 K, <em>Q</em>_<em>st</em> of 34 kJ mol⁻¹). Both POPs show strong CO₂ selectivity at low pressures due to interactions between nitrogen sites and the highly polar, high-quadrupole CO₂ molecules. FC-TPT-POP outperforms FC-TPT-Ph-POP, achieving a CO₂/N₂ selectivity of about 40 at 273 K. Moreover, it demonstrates outstanding catalytic performance in transforming simple terminal epoxides into cyclic carbonates using CO₂ as a reactant. For example, under mild conditions (120 °C, 400 psi, 8 h), FC-TPT-POP achieved a high conversion of 99.5 % toward propylene oxide (PO). The catalytic effect arises from the synergistic interaction of Lewis basic nitrogen atoms in the triazine units and the metal active sites of ferrocene. Therefore, the development of ferrocene-triazine-based POP catalysts in this study offers a promising strategy for lowering atmospheric CO₂ levels through efficient capture and catalytic conversion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103356"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating operating trade-offs in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol: Conversion, energy efficiency, and techno-economic implications","authors":"Giovana Chinaglia Tonon Petrielli,&nbsp;Rubens Maciel Filho","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103359","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The direct hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to methanol presents a promising approach to mitigate atmospheric CO₂ levels while producing a valuable chemical feedstock. However, the technical and economic feasibility of renewable methanol is still under evaluation, making it essential to identify optimal operational conditions and develop predictive models to enhance its competitiveness. This study investigates the optimization of the methanol production process via CO₂ hydrogenation in a conventional catalytic reactor, combining simulation and statistical analysis to enhance both CO₂ conversion and energy conversion efficiency (ηPtF). Aspen Plus simulations were conducted under varying pressures, temperatures, and hydrogen-to-CO₂ feed ratios<strong>,</strong> and response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to identify optimal conditions. The results revealed that the maximum CO₂ conversion (91.1 %) occurs at 83 bar, 247°C, and a hydrogen-to-CO₂ ratio of 5:1, while the optimal ηPtF (58.4 %) is achieved at 50 bar, 210°C and a ratio of 3:1. A techno-economic assessment shows that the high-conversion scenario demands substantially higher hydrogen recycle and compression, increasing capital and operating costs. In contrast, the ηPtF-optimized condition offers lower energy demand and improved economic performance. CO₂ conversion and ηPtF reached values comparable to or exceeding those in state-of-the-art studies, while highlighting the trade-off between maximizing conversion and optimizing energy efficiency. This underscores the need for tailored operating conditions. The generated surrogate models accurately predict the process outcomes, offering valuable insights for future studies, and demonstrating the potential for different economic and energy outcomes depending on the optimization strategy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103359"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mineral carbonation: Thermal activation of serpentine as flexible component in energy systems","authors":"Sampo Mäkikouri ,&nbsp;Marjut Mälkki ,&nbsp;Timo Leino ,&nbsp;Juho Kauppinen ,&nbsp;Fanni Hakanen ,&nbsp;Henrik Tolvanen","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this article, the thermal activation of serpentine for mineral carbonation using an electrically heated fluidised bed was studied. This process step is combined into a novel process configuration with rapid thermal activation and a thermal energy storage. For the studied serpentinite mine tailings, the thermal activation durations corresponding with desired mineralogical changes were &lt; 2 min at 700 °C, 4–8 min at 650 °C, 16–75 min at 600 °C and &gt; 75 min at 550°C, improving reaction kinetics compared to chamber furnace processing at 650°C for 30 min or 750 °C for 15 min. In all fluidised bed experiments, the preferred mineralogical changes corresponded to a dehydroxylation degree of 52–72 % determined with simultaneous thermal analysis. Fourier-transform infrared analyser was used for online determination of the dehydroxylation degree and could be used for process control if the measurement delay was considered better. The mass and energy balances for an industrial-scale thermal activation plant matching 100,000 tCO₂/a storage were calculated. The average electrical power demand was 17.4 MW, of which 22.9 % was recovered from steam and 61.7 % was stored in the thermal energy storage silos. Twelve-hour and 7-day buffering times resulted in silo volumes of 452.5 m³ and 3167 m³ and thermal energy storage capacities of 129.0 MWh and 903.2 MWh, respectively. Further studies should include process parameter optimisation as well as techno-economic and life cycle assessments to holistically improve the concept.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103353"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable CO2 fixation under low CO2 pressure, solvent free conditions using a recyclable Zn-dehydroacetic acid catalyst supported on SBA-15","authors":"Salimeh Nazari Mazidi,&nbsp;Elham Safaei","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103320","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103320","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A heterogeneous catalyst has been synthesized by immobilizing a zinc complex of the bio- derived dehydroacetic acid (DHA) ligand onto SBA-15. This catalyst was characterized by BET, XPS, FTIR, TGA, TEM, SEM, XRD, and ICP-OES, which confirmed the successful incorporation of Zn-DHA complex into the SBA-15. In combination with KI (3 mol%) as simple and inexpensive co-catalyst, the minimal amount (20 mg) of the catalyst, promoted the solvent free cycloaddition of CO₂ to epoxides at 50 °C under ambient to low CO₂ pressure (2 bar to balloon). This mesoporous catalyst exhibited excellent activity and selectivity across a broad substrate scope and could be reused for six cycles, with minimal loss in performance. Hot filtration test and ICP analysis confirmed the structural stability and heterogeneous nature of the catalytic process with negligible leaching. A key distinguishing feature of this catalyst is the modulation of Lewis acidity at Zn(II) center by the oxygen-rich DHA ligand, promotes catalyst dispersibility and improves epoxide activation. Notably, this cost-effective and reusable catalyst system avoids high CO₂ pressure and costly quaternary ammonium salts, significantly improving sustainable CO₂ valorization and practical applicability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103320"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study of CO2 absorption into monoethanolamine solution in a rotating packed bed","authors":"Jaesu Jang ,&nbsp;Gwan Hong Min ,&nbsp;Sung Chan Nam ,&nbsp;Kibong Lee ,&nbsp;Sunghoon Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103345","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103345","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conventional packed bed (PB) absorbers for post-combustion CO₂ capture are hindered by large equipment size and high regeneration energy. Rotating packed bed (RPB) has emerged as a promising alternative by intensifying mass transfer and reducing process footprint. In this study, a lab-scale RPB system employing high-concentration monoethanolamine (MEA) solutions at concentrations of 30–70 wt% was investigated for CO₂ absorption. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by varying motor speed (300–800 RPM), liquid flow rate, gas flow rate (3–6 Nm³/h), and reboiler temperature, while maintaining a CO₂ capture efficiency of 90 %. The results revealed that higher motor speeds and concentrated MEA solutions enhanced mass transfer and cyclic capacity, while reducing overall power consumption. In addition, an optimal L/G ratio of 6.90 L/m³ minimized the total energy demand, while a regeneration temperature of 102 °C was found to be the minimum required. Lastly, the electricity consumption of the RPB was measured and compared with the regeneration energy in the stripper to evaluate the relative magnitude of the RPB power usage. As a result, the electrical energy consumption of the RPB accounted for about 2 % less than the heat duty required by the reboiler. This study demonstrates that an RPB-based CO₂ capture system outperforms a PB despite its reduced packing height and reactor volume. The use of highly concentrated MEA solutions further enhances RPB process intensification, offering valuable guidance for industrial-scale CO₂ capture system design and optimization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103345"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Four-column Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption for biogas upgrading with co-production of high-purity biogenic CO2: Experimental and simulation study","authors":"Mohammad Azadi Tabar ,&nbsp;Esther Pancione ,&nbsp;Sunil Adavanal Peter ,&nbsp;Joeri F.M. Denayer","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this work, a four-column Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) pilot unit was constructed and tested for biogas upgrading. The columns were packed with the carbon molecular sieve Shirasagi CT-350 (CMS) adsorbent. A 12-steps process configuration was designed to upgrade a synthetic mixture of CH₄/CO₂ (60/40 %vol), representing biogas, to biomethane. Experiments and simulations were carried out at room temperature (298 K) with an adsorption pressure of 4 bar, using a non-isothermal dynamic Aspen Adsorption™ model to support process interpretation. The configuration performance was evaluated for two feed flowrates of 2 SL/min and 3 SL/min, two vacuum pressures of 0.1 bar and 0.2 bar, while variating the evacuation time from 55 s to 700 s. Results indicated that at lower feed flowrates, higher CH₄ purity and recovery were achieved at the cost of higher energy consumption. Additionally, longer vacuum times (corresponding to longer adsorption times) reduced the total energy consumption. The best case of the experimental campaign, at vacuum pressure of 0.2 bar and feed flowrate of 3 SL/min, achieved a raffinate stream with 95.9 % CH₄ purity and 97.9 % CH₄ recovery, while simultaneously producing an extract stream with 96.7 % CO₂ purity and 93.6 % CO₂ recovery. These results demonstrate the high efficiency and potential of CMS-based multi-column VPSA configurations for upgrading biogas to biomethane while generating a high-purity CO₂ co-product.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103348"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating AFM adhesion profiling with supercritical antisolvent fluidized-bed CO₂ processing to optimise drug loading","authors":"Xinxin Fan ,&nbsp;Zhian Fang ,&nbsp;Yanting Ouyang ,&nbsp;Lu Qian ,&nbsp;Xiyue Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Chen ,&nbsp;Biying Xie ,&nbsp;Chunyi Wang ,&nbsp;Tiejun Lu ,&nbsp;Long Xi ,&nbsp;Zhenwen Qiu ,&nbsp;Alan Xiaodong Zhuang ,&nbsp;Qingguo Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving drug loading and dissolution of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) remains a major challenge in formulation development. Here, we integrate atomic force microscopy (AFM) adhesion-force profiling with supercritical antisolvent fluidized-bed (SAS-FB) technology to establish a predictive framework for drug–carrier selection. Enzalutamide (ENZ), a highly crystalline and poorly soluble biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) Class II compound, was used as a stringent model drug. Single-particle force spectroscopy measurements quantified nanoscale interaction forces between SAS-processed ENZ microcrystals and seven carrier materials. Among these, lactose T70 exhibited the highest adhesion force, which strongly correlated with its superior encapsulation efficiency (EE = 92.7 %) under identical SAS-FB processing conditions. Statistical analysis revealed a robust linear relationship between mean adhesion force and EE (R² = 0.94453), identifying adhesion force as a quantitative predictor of drug deposition efficiency. This predictive capability was further validated using three additional model compounds (naringenin, dihydromyricetin, and luteolin). Comprehensive physicochemical characterization (SEM, PSD, EDS, DSC, XRD, FT-IR, and ¹H NMR) confirmed effective deposition of ENZ onto lactose T70, particle-size reduction, preserved chemical integrity, and SAS-induced polymorphic transformation. The optimized ENZ@SAS-FB(T70) formulation achieved a 5.5-fold increase in dissolution compared with unprocessed ENZ, attributed to uniform coating, enhanced wetting, and improved dispersion of micronized drug on the carrier surface. Collectively, this study establishes AFM-guided carrier screening as a mechanistic and efficient strategy for optimizing SAS-FB formulations. By linking nanoscale adhesion forces to macroscopic encapsulation outcomes, this framework offers a generalizable approach for accelerating the development of high-performance formulations for poorly soluble APIs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103360"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revealing the structure-activity relationship of Mn3O4/TiO2 via phase engineering for enhanced photocatalytic CO₂ reduction","authors":"Eunhee Gong ,&nbsp;Hye Rim Kim ,&nbsp;Yunju Hwang ,&nbsp;Jeonghyeon Lee ,&nbsp;Jin-Woo Jung ,&nbsp;Chang-Hee Cho ,&nbsp;In Young Kim ,&nbsp;Su-Il In","doi":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103357","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103357","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The structure-activity relationship plays a crucial role for enhanced photocatalytic performance, nevertheless, precisely controlling the phase of transition metal oxides remains a significant challenge. Herein, we developed 2D-layered Mn₃O₄ decorated with TiO₂ catalyst to investigate the effects of manganese oxide phase on photocatalytic CO₂ reduction activity. We optimized the manganese oxide phase by varying the amount of the TiCl₄ precursor. During the synthesis reaction, TiCl₄ is a key role for determining the oxidation state of manganese oxide. We identified that Mn₃O₄ is the best phase for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, and Mn₃O₄/TiO₂ exhibits 20.1-, 7.8-fold enhanced photocatalytic CO₂ reduction performance than pristine TiO₂ and Mn₃O₄, respectively. The improved photocatalytic activity is relevant to the phase of manganese oxide, the enhanced separation of charge carriers and prolonged lifetimes of charge carriers. <em>In situ</em> X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES) confirms the changes of oxidation state under photocatalytic CO₂ reduction conditions. Furthermore, the photocatalytic mechanism is proposed by <em>in situ</em> Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) analysis. This study provides an effective design strategy for modulating oxidation state of transition metal oxide-based photocatalyst for enhanced solar fuels generation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":350,"journal":{"name":"Journal of CO2 Utilization","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 103357"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147421581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}