Selective Deposition of Cobalt and Copper Oxides on BiVO₄ Facets for Enhancement of CO₂ Photocatalytic Reduction to Hydrocarbons

Abstract

The nanostructure of a semiconductor is a crucial parameter for efficient photocatalytic performance. Hereby, we have synthesized monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4 ) crystals with controlled ratio of {010} and {110} facets. The selective deposition of CuO x and CoO x over {010} and {110} facets has been performed using photo-reduction and photo-oxidation methods, respectively. It resulted in a highly efficient charge separation of photogenerated electrons and holes and enhancement of the photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 by H 2 O into hydrocarbons, including CH 4 , C 2 H 6 and C 3 H 8 . The controlled co-catalyst deposition over different semiconductor facets provides a strategy for the synthesis of hydrocarbons from CO 2 and H 2 O by efficient charge separation.[a] Dr. X. Yu, Dr.

Artificial photosynthesis for high‐value‐added chemicals: Old material, new opportunity

“…Additionally, the oxygen vacancy‐Zn + centre served as a trapping site for adsorption of CO 2 and H 2 O to promote charge separation, thereby achieving high catalytic activity. Furthermore, direct production from C1 products to C2 + hydrocarbons through CO 2 reduction have been studied 79–81 . C2 + products have advantages of higher energy density and economic value than C1 products.…”

“…Furthermore, direct production from C1 products to C2 + hydrocarbons through CO 2 reduction have been studied. [79][80][81] C2 + products have advantages of higher energy density and economic value than C1 products. However, direct production of C2 + products has many thermodynamic limitations, such as C-C coupling, which is a rate-determining step.…”

Engineering approach toward catalyst design for solar photocatalytic CO 2 reduction: A critical review

“…For example, TiO 2 has been considered as one of the most popular semiconductors applied to photocatalysis with prestigious advantages, including easy availability, low toxicity, outstanding chemical stability, and unique optical and electronic properties, and a recently published review on TiO 2 ‐based photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction is available 54 . Nevertheless, because of inefficient solar energy utilization substantiated by the wide bandgap, researchers have employed various methods to improve the activity of such photocatalysts, including metal or non‐metal doping, 40,41,55‐61 alloying, 42,51‐53 facet engineering, 62‐65 nanostructure tailoring, 13,40,46,66,67 surface defect engineering, 43,68,69 and p‐n heterojunction or Z‐scheme system constructing 44,45,47‐50,70‐74 . In general, these methods all aim at either improving the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron/hole pairs, namely prolonging the lifespan of electrons for CO 2 reduction, or creating more catalytically active sites.…”

Rational design and fabrication of frame‐structured doped bismuth vanadate nanoarchitectures as a polysulfide shield to boost the performance of lithium‐sulfur batteries

“…Bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4 ) is an inorganic compound and well‐known semiconductor with frame structures. Many studies have shown that BiVO 4 ‐based compounds are emerging in many fields, such as reduction of carbon dioxide, water splitting, and semiconductor absorber, but BiVO 4 as a potential candidate for Li‐S batteries has not been reported so far 54‐57 …”

“…Many studies have shown that BiVO 4 -based compounds are emerging in many fields, such as reduction of carbon dioxide, water splitting, and semiconductor absorber, but BiVO 4 as a potential candidate for Li-S batteries has not been reported so far. [54][55][56][57] Here, frame-structured neodymium-doped bismuth vanadate (Nd:BiVO 4 ) nanoarchitectures are reasonably designed and fabricated via a cost-efficient and facile tactics as a polysulfide shield to alleviate the shuttling effects. The crystal structure, surface topography, local structure, surface chemistry, and electrochemical properties of Nd:BiVO 4 nanoarchitectures were investigated across-the-board.…”