Artificial Photosynthesis of Glycolaldehyde and Syngas from Plastic Feedstocks via Boron-Functionalized Nickel Species on CdS

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dc.contributor.authorZhang, S.
dc.contributor.authorGao, X.
dc.contributor.authorXia, B.
dc.contributor.authorSlattery, A.
dc.contributor.authorRan, J.
dc.contributor.authorQiao, S.-Z.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionOnlinePubl
dc.description.abstractGlycolaldehyde is an important intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and biodegradable plastics. Artificial photosynthesis of glycolaldehyde from plastic waste provides a sustainable approach for waste recycling and solar energy utilization. However, the inertness of plastic substrates and unselective photoredox make it challenging to generate valuable aldehydes or other market-demanded products. Here we demonstrate co-production of glycolaldehyde and syngas from the photoreforming of polyethylene terephthalate via an electron–proton cascade redox using a boron-functionalized nickel species modified CdS photocatalyst (NinB@Ni-BOx/CdS) under ambient conditions. We confirm the surface specie as a nickel boride@nickel borate core-shell nanoarchitecture with dual functions, serving as a reduction cocatalyst and facilitating electron–proton cascade transfer. The feature boosts charge separation and reactant molecule activation for an efficient cooperative redox. The optimized photocatalyst exhibits a glycolaldehyde generation of 1068.3 µmol gcat¯¹ h¯¹ with a selectivity of 66.3%, as well as a syngas generation of 3232.2 µmol gcat¯¹ h¯¹ with a tuneable H₂/CO ratio. The finding demonstrates the solar-driven synthesis of value-added and multifunctional products from plastic waste as a sustainable and economically promising strategy.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityShuai Zhang, Xintong Gao, Bingquan Xia, Ashley Slattery, Jingrun Ran, Shi-Zhang Qiao
dc.identifier.citationAngewandte Chemie International Edition, 2025; 64(48):e202517025-1-e202517025-11
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/anie.202517025
dc.identifier.issn1433-7851
dc.identifier.issn1521-3773
dc.identifier.orcidZhang, S. [0000-0001-8536-8493]
dc.identifier.orcidSlattery, A. [0000-0003-4023-3506]
dc.identifier.orcidRan, J. [0009-0009-1588-6215]
dc.identifier.orcidQiao, S.-Z. [0000-0002-1220-1761] [0000-0002-4568-8422]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/148223
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE230100032
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP230102027
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP210301397
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT230100192
dc.rights©2025 The Author(s). Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202517025
dc.subjectBio‐inspired structure
dc.subjectPhotocatalysis
dc.subjectPlastic upcycling
dc.subjectProton‐coupled electron transform
dc.subjectSelective redox
dc.titleArtificial Photosynthesis of Glycolaldehyde and Syngas from Plastic Feedstocks via Boron-Functionalized Nickel Species on CdS
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished online

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