Constructing Z-scheme WO₃/C₃N₄ heterojunctions with an enlarged internal electric field and accelerated water oxidation kinetics for robust CO₂ photoreduction

Abstract

The solar-driven conversion of CO2 into value-added fuels is regarded as one of the most promising strategies to address the increasing greenhouse effect and energy crisis. However, severe charge recombination...

Complementary electrochromic device via a scalable solution process: a step towards affordable and energy-efficient smart windows

“…2(h)), whereas for W 5+ state, those positioned at 35.7 and 37.5 eV, respectively. 39–41 The high-resolution XPS spectrum of W4f for WAA is shown in Fig. S17 (ESI†).…”

Emergence of Z-Scheme Photocatalysis for Total Water Splitting: An Improvised Route to High Efficiency

“…Nevertheless, numerous g-C 3 N 4 -based type-II heterojunction photocatalysts have exhibited enhanced photocatalytic properties owing to their effective spatial separation of electron–hole pairs via band alignment between two semiconductors; even their catalytic efficiency has been improved enormously trough Z-scheme. ,− The g-C 3 N 4 -based SCS Z-scheme photocatalysts (such as WO 3 /Cu/gC 3 N 4 , Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag/g-C 3 N 4 , CdS/Au/g-C 3 N 4 , etc.) employ different noble metals as conducting mediator in between two semiconductors, facilitating efficient charge transfer and transportation .…”

“…2D stacked heterojunctions offer the highest degree of interface contact, facilitating interfacial charge transfer and separation, and thus, identifying suitable 2D materials for constructing g-C 3 N 4 -based Z-scheme photocatalytic systems with high performance is crucial. , Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets, another metal-free 2D material structurally similar to graphene, have garnered extensive attention due to their excellent photocatalytic properties, including large surface area, high thermodynamic stability, and good thermal conductivity . However, as pointed out by Xu et al, the relatively large band gap of h-BN (4–6 eV) puts severe limitations on its photocatalytic applications under visible light response.…”