Enhanced Solar Fuel Production over In₂O₃@Co₂VO₄ Hierarchical Nanofibers with S‐Scheme Charge Separation Mechanism

Abstract

The conversion of CO2 into valuable solar fuels via photocatalysis is a promising strategy for addressing energy shortages and environmental crises. Here, novel In2O3@Co2VO4 hierarchical heterostructures are fabricated by in situ growing Co2VO4 nanorods onto In2O3 nanofibers. First‐principle calculations and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements reveal the electron transfer between In2O3 and Co2VO4 driven by the difference in work functions, thus creating an interfacial electric field and bending the bands at the interfaces. In this case, the photogenerated electrons in In2O3 transport to Co2VO4 and recombine with its holes, indicating the formation of In2O3@Co2VO4 S‐scheme heterojunctions and resulting in effective separation of charge carriers, as confirmed by in situ irradiation XPS. The unique S‐scheme mechanism, along with the enhanced optical absorption and the lower Gibbs free energy change for the production of *CHO, significantly contributes to the efficient CO2 photoreduction into CO and CH4 in the absence of any molecule cocatalyst or scavenger. Density functional theory simulation and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy are employed to elucidate the reaction mechanism in detail.

Visible‐Light‐Induced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Performance of Graphdiyne‐Alkyne Phosphating Mo–Metal‐Organic Frameworks Heterojunction

“…An increase in binding energy in the C 1s and O 1s spectra can be observed in Figure 9, indicating that the PMF/ G-25 catalyst becomes more stable under light. [55] These observations are generally consistent with the hypothetical mechanism of PMF/G-25 occurrence in the presence of light. Therefore, the XPS analysis results provide favorable evidence for the view that light irradiation induces changes in the chemical state and stability of PMF/G-25 surfaces, which may contribute to the enhancement of its photocatalytic activity.…”

Boosting Artificial Photosynthesis: CO2 Chemisorption and S-Scheme Charge Separation via Anchoring Inorganic QDs on COFs

“…The absorption edges of the COF and QDs are found at approximately 610 and 550 nm, respectively. The COF/QDs-II heterojunction exhibits optical absorption properties similar to pure COF, with a slight reduction in UV and visible light harvesting compared to the COF, suggesting hybridization of the COF and QDs …”

“…The COF/QDs-II heterojunction exhibits optical absorption properties similar to pure COF, with a slight reduction in UV and visible light harvesting compared to the COF, suggesting hybridization of the COF and QDs. 44 The chemical composition and elemental valence states of the obtained samples were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and all of the binding energies (BEs) were referenced to the C 1s peak at 284.8 eV from adventitious carbon (Figure S3). The N 1s spectrum of the pristine COF (Figure 2a) exhibits two discernible peaks centered at 398.5 and 399.8 eV, corresponding to C�N and C−N functionalities within the COF, respectively.…”