Adjusting Surface Oxidized Layer of CoTe on PCN via In Situ N-Doping Strategy to Promote Charge Separation of Z-Scheme Heterojunction for Propelling Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction

Abstract

It has been a challenging issue to profoundly actuate the transfer and separation of photoinduced charge carriers by controlling the interface structure inside the heterojunction, owing to the molecular/subnanometric level interface region. Herein, a unique one-dimensional/two-dimensional (1D/2D) CoTe/PCN Z-scheme heterojunction is fabricated through the self-assembly of CoTe nanorods on the surface of polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) nanosheets. Significantly, in situ N-doping in the molecular/ subnanometric surface oxidized layer of CoTe nanorods is achieved, effectively adjusting its chemical structure and element chemical states. Moreover, this N-doped surface oxidized layer can serve as a recombination region of photogenerated electrons from PCN and photogenerated holes from CoTe to increase the overall carrier separation efficiency in the Z-scheme heterojunction actuated by the built-in electric field. As a result, the photocatalytic CO 2 reduction (CO 2 R) performance is enhanced dramatically, in which the yield of CO generated over the optimal 1D/2D CoTe/PCN heterojunction reaches up to triple than that over PCN. This unique contribution provides an emblematic paradigm for adjusting the interfacial structure of heterojunction and has a profound insight into the interfacial adjusting mechanism to improve the charge separation efficiency in the photocatalytic reaction.

In Situ Creation of Surface Defects on Pd@NiPd with Core–shell Hierarchical Structure Toward Boosting Electrocatalytic Activity

“…In the past few decades, the application of photocatalytic, photoelectrocatalytic, and electrocatalytic technologies in the field of energy and environment has made important research progress. − Among these catalytic technologies, alkaline electrocatalytic hydrogen (H 2 ) production has been proposed as an advanced and attractive way owing to its accessible reactants, stable outputs, and highly pure products. − However, both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of electrolytic water under alkaline conditions have sluggish reaction kinetics, which requires the presence of high overpotential to drive them. , Therefore, it is of great significance to design and develop an advanced catalyst to reduce the overpotential of HER and OER processes and eliminate severe energy loss.…”