Construction of CuLa bimetallic metal-organic frameworks and their enhanced performance for photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CO

With the escalating threat of greenhouse gas emissions to the environment, the effective transformation of CO₂ into high-value chemical products (e.g., CO, CH₄) has become a major focus of research. Consequently, doping strategies, particularly the incorporation of rare-earth elements, have proven effective in optimizing the electronic structure of photocatalysts and modulating reaction pathways. In this study, lanthanum (La)-doped copper-based metal-organic frameworks (Cu-MOFs) were successfully synthesized using a solvothermal method. During the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction process, the synergistic effect between oxygen vacancies and La–Cu dual active sites significantly enhanced CO₂ adsorption, light absorption efficiency, and charge carrier separation. Experimental results demonstrated that CuLa₃-MOF exhibited excellent CO selectivity (99.96 %) and photocatalytic performance, achieving a CO yield of 163.69 μmol g⁻¹h⁻¹, which is 7.58 times higher than that of undoped Cu-MOF (21.58 μmol g⁻¹h⁻¹). This research provides new insights into the development of effective photocatalysts for CO₂ utilization and highlights the crucial role of rare-earth elements in enhancing catalytic systems.