Guiding the Driving Factors on Plasma Super‐Photothermal S‐Scheme Core‐Shell Nanoreactor to Enhance Photothermal Catalytic H₂ Evolution and Selective CO₂ Reduction

Abstract

Light‐induced heat has a non‐negligible role in photocatalytic reactions. However, it is still challenging to design highly efficient catalysts that can make use of light and thermal energy synergistically. Herein, the study proposes a plasma super‐photothermal S‐scheme heterojunction core‐shell nanoreactor based on manipulation of the driving factors, which consists of α‐Fe2O3 encapsulated by g‐C3N4 modified with gold quantum dots. α‐Fe2O3 can promote carrier spatial separation while also acting as a thermal core to radiate heat to the shell, while Au quantum dots transfer energetic electrons and heat to g‐C3N4 via surface plasmon resonance. Consequently, the catalytic activity of Au/α‐Fe2O3@g‐C3N4 is significantly improved by internal and external double hot spots, and it shows an H2 evolution rate of 5762.35 µmol h−1 g−1, and the selectivity of CO2 conversion to CH4 is 91.2%. This work provides an effective strategy to design new plasma photothermal catalysts for the solar‐to‐fuel transition.