Schottky Junctions with Bi@Bi₂MoO₆ Core-Shell Photocatalysts toward High-Efficiency Solar N₂-to-Ammonnia Conversion...

The photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) in aqueous solution is a green and sustainable strategy for ammonia production. Nonetheless, the efficiency of the process still has a wide gap compared to that of the Haber-Bosch one due to the difficulty of N₂ activation and the quick recombination of photo-generated carriers. Herein, a core-shell Bi@Bi₂MoO₆ microsphere through constructing Schottky junctions has been explored as a robust photocatalyst toward N₂ reduction to NH₃. Metal Bi self-reduced onto Bi₂MoO₆ not only spurs the photo-generated electron and hole separation owing to the Schottky junction at the interface of Bi and Bi₂MoO₆ but also promotes N₂ adsorption and activation at Bi active sites synchronously. As a result, the yield of the photocatalytic N₂-to-ammonia conversion reaches up to 173.40 μmol g^-1 on core-shell Bi@Bi₂MoO₆ photocatalysts, as much as two times of that of bare Bi₂MoO₆. This work provides a new design for the decarbonization of the nitrogen reduction reaction by the utilization of renewable energy sources.