Capture and Utilization of CO₂ with Morpholine for Effective Photocatalytic N-Formylmorpholine Production

Converting into high-value-added products represents the most optimal approach to CO2 utilization. The substitution of CO with CO2 as a potential critical material for formamide production is widely regarded as an ideal pathway and has garnered significant attention. However, high temperatures and pressures remain essential for the reaction, exerting a substantial influence on the utilization process. Herein, N-formylmorpholine was creatively synthesized by integrating the capture and solar-driven utilization of CO2 with morpholine. Notably, a remarkable N-formylmorpholine yield of 11433.3 mu molh(-1)g(-1) was obtained, surpassing pure MoO3 by an astounding factor of 89.1 with a N-formylmorpholine yield of 63.8 mu mol in 6 h, which is an astonishing increase of 57.5 times compared to MoO3. Both experimental results and density functional theory calculations suggest that the inclusion of Fe can effectively reduce the formation energy barrier while facilitating the desorption process of N-formylmorpholine, thereby optimizing the overall performance.