Boosting Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction Over In-Doped Bi₄O₅Br₂: Synergistic Bandgap Engineering and Charge Separation.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is key for carbon neutrality and fuel generation.
• Photocatalyst efficiency is limited by rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize In-doped Bi4O5Br2 for improved photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
• To investigate the effect of In3+ doping on the electronic structure and charge carrier dynamics.

Main Methods:

• One-pot solvothermal synthesis of In-doped Bi4O5Br2.
• Comprehensive material characterization techniques.
• Photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity testing.

Main Results:

• In3+ doping effectively modulated the electronic structure and narrowed the bandgap of Bi4O5Br2.
• Dopant-induced energy levels suppressed electron-hole recombination.
• The optimal 15In-Bi4O5Br2 sample showed a 2.3x increase in CO production rate (4.67 µmol g-1 h-1).

Conclusions:

• In doping significantly enhances photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity in Bi4O5Br2.
• Synergistic effects of optimized band structure and improved charge separation drive the enhancement.
• This study offers insights for designing bismuth-based materials for sustainable CO2 conversion.