Hollow InVO₄ Microspheres toward Promoting Photocatalytic CO₂ Conversion Performance.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a key strategy for sustainable fuel production and climate change mitigation.
• Developing efficient catalysts is crucial for advancing CO₂ conversion technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate InVO₄-based catalysts for CO₂ reduction in a solid-gas phase system.
• To investigate the structure-activity relationship of InVO₄ microspheres in photocatalysis.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of InVO₄ hollow microspheres, solid microspheres, and InVO₄ SSR.
• Evaluation of catalytic performance in a solid-gas phase CO₂ reduction system.
• Analysis of structural properties influencing adsorption, light harvesting, and charge transfer.

Main Results:

• InVO₄ hollow microspheres exhibited significantly higher CO and CH₄ production rates compared to other tested structures.
• The hollow structure improved CO₂ adsorption and light harvesting through internal scattering.
• Nanoparticle packing in the shell structure enhanced charge transfer and reduced recombination.

Conclusions:

• InVO₄ hollow microspheres demonstrate superior photocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction.
• The unique structural features of hollow microspheres are critical for efficient CO₂ conversion.
• This catalyst design offers a promising pathway for producing valuable chemical fuels from CO₂.