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Charge-Transfer Reversal at Cl-Regulated Cu2O/in2S3 Interfaces Enables C─C Coupling for Selective CO2 Photoreduction
Xiuzheng Deng1,2, Jiangchuan Liu2, Haonan Ge1
1Advanced Catalysis and Green Manufacturing Collaborative Innovation Center, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Abstract:
Efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction to C2H4 is often constrained by sluggish C─C coupling kinetics and inefficient charge utilization. In this study, a Cl-regulated reversed charge-transfer pathway in Cu2O/In2S3 heterojunction switches the photocatalytic CO2 reduction product from CO to C2H4. This is attributed to Cl incorporation into the Cu2O lattice, which induces p-type to n-type conversion and reversed interfacial electric field (IEF), driving the transformation of Cu2O/In2S3 (CIS) from a type-II heterostructure to a Z-scheme heterojunction in Cl-Cu2O/In2S3 (CCIS). The tailored charge transfer pathway enables Cl-Cu2O to act as the CO2 reduction center, and Cl-modified electronic structure of Cu sites stabilizes *CO intermediates and lowers the C─C coupling barrier. Meanwhile, In2S3 promotes H2O oxidation to provide sufficient protons and further accelerates the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process. Accordingly, CCIS exhibits an impressive C2H4 evolution rate of 115.3 µmol g-1 h-1 and 91.4% selectivity in pure water, with an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 5.4% at 420 nm. These findings highlight the significance of designing photocatalysts with favorable charge transport to tailor product selectivity in CO2 photoreduction.
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