Two‐Dimensional Layered Zinc Silicate Nanosheets with Excellent Photocatalytic Performance for Organic Pollutant Degradation and CO₂ Conversion

Abstract

Two‐dimensional (2D) photocatalysts are highly attractive for their great potential in environmental remediation and energy conversion. Herein, we report a novel layered zinc silicate (LZS) photocatalyst synthesized by a liquid‐phase epitaxial growth route using silica derived from vermiculite, a layered silicate clay mineral, as both the lattice‐matched substrate and Si source. The epitaxial growth of LZS is limited in the 2D directions, thus generating the vermiculite‐type crystal structure and ultrathin nanosheet morphology with thicknesses of 8–15 nm and a lateral size of about 200 nm. Experimental observations and DFT calculations indicated that LZS has a superior band alignment for the degradation of organic pollutants and reduction of CO2 to CO. The material exhibited efficient photocatalytic performance for 4‐chlorophenol (4‐CP) degradation and CO2 conversion into CO and is the first example of a claylike 2D photocatalyst with strong photooxidation and photoreduction capabilities.

Ultrathin Two‐Dimensional Semiconductors for Photocatalysis in Energy and Environment Applications

“…With the excessive consumption of fossil fuels, the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere is increasing rapidly, causing the greenhouse effect to seriously threaten human′s living environment. Artificial photosynthesis of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction, not only can effectively reduce the amount of CO 2 , but also can obtain organic fuels or chemicals (CO, HCHO, CH 3 OH and CH 4 ), is a win‐win strategy and therefore favored by researchers . Therefore, to explore the basic physical and chemical issues of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction and design strategy for high‐efficiency photocatalytic materials is the main ways to improve the CO 2 conversion efficiency.…”

Inside‐and‐Out Semiconductor Engineering for CO2 Photoreduction: From Recent Advances to New Trends

“…[ 79,80 ] Since 2009, several new photocatalytic systems have been proposed gradually, including g‐C 3 N 4 , [ 81–90 ] CdS, [ 90–99 ] BiOCl, [ 100–102 ] and BiOIO 3 . [ 103 ] Synthetic strategies for various nano‐/microstructure were also developed, such as quantum dots (QDs), [ 104–106 ] nanowires (NWs), [ 107–109 ] nanosheets, [ 110–112 ] and heterostructures. [ 113–115 ] These vigorous developments have led to the improvement of the conversion rate of CO 2 reaction and the selectivity of final products.…”

Engineering Cocatalysts onto Low‐Dimensional Photocatalysts for CO2 Reduction

“…[1,2] Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction can directly convert sustainable sunlight into valuable chemical feedstocks or fuels, thereby addressing energy issues while relieving the greenhouse effect caused by CO 2 . [3][4][5] By using CO 2 as carbon source, H 2 O as H source, multiple products can be generated, such as CH 4 , CH 3 OH, HCHO, HCOOH, and CO. [6][7][8] However, CO 2 photoreduction efficiency over conventional 3D semiconductor photocatalysts is generally limited owing to the poor bulk charge separation efficiency and lack of adequate catalytic active sites. Therefore, the development of efficient photocatalysts to improve CO 2 photoreduction performance for practical implementation is highly desirable.…”