Engineered S-Scheme Heterojunction for Efficient CO₂ Photoreduction on Bismuth Oxybromide

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Artificial photosynthesis aims to address global energy and environmental issues.
• Current limitations include rapid charge recombination and inefficient CO2 activation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a composite material for enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
• To improve charge separation and CO2 activation for higher efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Decorating cobalt-nickel layered double hydroxide (CN-LDH) onto BiOBr nanosheets to create a BxCy composite.
• Utilizing in situ Kelvin probe force microscopy to verify electron migration.
• Employing in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and pulsed chemisorption to identify reaction intermediates.

Main Results:

• The BxCy composite exhibited a stronger internal electric field, promoting efficient photogenerated carrier migration.
• The engineered structure facilitated the accumulation of photoinduced electrons in CN-LDH for CO2 reduction.
• The optimized B5C1 catalyst achieved a CO evolution rate of 88.92 μmol g⁻¹ with 100% selectivity.

Conclusions:

• The study provides critical insights into charge transfer dynamics and intermediate evolution in photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
• The developed composite material shows significant potential for efficient artificial photosynthesis.
• This research offers a pathway for developing advanced catalysts for sustainable energy solutions.