On March 18, Prof. Shi Weidong's research team from School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering of Jiangsu University (JSU) published a research paper entitled Well-defined diatomic catalyis for photosynthesis of C₂H₄ from CO₂ in Nature Communications, which is a top journal of natural scicence. JSU is the first completion unit. Doctoral student Xie Zhongkai is the first author. Prof. Shi Weidong is the first corresponding author. And Prof. Song Shuyan of Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences is the co-corresponding author.

Against the backdrop of increased energy demand and the growing concern of carbon dioxide(CO₂) emissions, photocatalytic carbon dioxide(CO₂) reduction has garnered significant attention as a green and sustainable approach to convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals. Diatomic catalysts have emerged as a focal point of research for efficient photosynthesis of ethylene (C₂H₄) from CO₂, owing to their distinctive electron redistribution and spatial proximity. Presently, the synthesis of diatomic catalysts primarily relies on the bottom-up strategy. However, the inherent repulsion between neighboring metal monoatoms at sub-nanometer distances often results in the random distribution of heteronuclear atoms, undermining the thorough optimization of catalytic performance and precise exploration of reaction mechanisms.

Therefore, this work proposes a novel top-down ion-cutting process for the synthesis of highly ordered heteronuclear diatomic catalysts. In this process, highly ordered CuAu diatoms, with only 2-3Å interatomic spacing, are successfully anchored onto the surface of TiO₂ catalysts. Leveraging the exceptional spatial proximity and electronic recombination effects among the CuAu heteronuclear atoms, the diatomic catalyst exhibits remarkably low C-C coupling barriers. Consequently, it achieves highly efficient and stable CO₂ photosynthesis of C₂H₄, with activities and selectivities of 568.8μmol-g-1-h-1 and 68.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the catalytic performance is sustained for up to 120 hours, surpassing the other reported catalysts in the same category in combination property. This finding not only presents a new top-down strategy for the preparation of highly ordered heteronuclear diatomic catalysts but also supports the comprehensive optimization of catalytic performance and exploration of the synergistic catalytic mechanism between heteronuclear atoms.