Synergism of the Plasmonic Effect and Schottky Junction to Effectively Facilitate Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction of Bi₄O₅I₂@Cu

Rich Sulfur Vacancies and Reduced Schottky Barrier Height Synergistically Enable Au/ZnIn2S4 with Enhanced Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction into CO

“…The H–O–H bond angles over ZIS (001) and Au NPs were 103.685 and 104.923°, respectively. The E ads , bond length of H 2 O and the H–O–H bond angle over Au NPs were higher than those over ZIS (001) after stable adsorption, demonstrating that the oxidation of H 2 O is over Au NPs rather than the ZIS surface . With regards to CO 2 adsorption over ZIS (001) and Au NPs, the E ads of CO 2 over ZIS (001) and Au NPs were −0.57 and −0.16 eV, respectively (Figure c,d).…”

“…The OCO bond angles over ZIS (001) and Au NPs were 179.623 and 179.199°, respectively. The E ads , bond length of CO 2 , and the OCO bond angle over ZIS (001) were higher compared with those over Au NPs after the stable adsorption, suggesting that the reduction of CO 2 is over ZIS rather than the surface of Au NPs …”

“…In addition, there are no evident variations for Au/V S R-ZIS-0.4 before and after the photocatalytic cyclic experiments from the XRD patterns and SEM images (Figure S2a,b), ascertaining its favorable photostability and reusability. This is mainly attributed to the synergy of the rich sulfur vacancies and the Au/ZIS Schottky barrier in Au/V S R-ZIS-0.4, boosting the transfer of photogenerated holes from V S R-ZIS MFs to Au NPs so as to restrain the photocorrosion of V S R-ZIS MFs. , Figure S3 shows that no CO can be found under the test conditions: using N 2 to replace CO 2 , no light, or no catalysts. In addition, as displayed in Figure S4, the retention time (RT) of CO is 11.098 min, and its corresponding MS spectrum for 13 CO presents the singal of 13 CO ( m / z = 29) (Figure d), affirming that the reaction of CO 2 reduction is factually driven via light with the help of a photocatalyst.…”

“…The coupling of plasmonic metal NPs with a semiconductor and vacancy engineering are two feasible means to surmount the above intrinsic drawbacks. , On one hand, for the plasmonic metal–semiconductor system, it can utilize the synergism of the plasmonic effect of metal NPs and the Schottky junction at their heterointerface . For instance, the plasmonic semiconductor-based photocatalysts (Au/TiO 2 , Ag/In 2 O 3 , Ag/TiO 2 , TaON@Ni NPs, and Bi 4 O 5 I 2 @Cu NPs) present the obviously improved activity of CO 2 photoreduction through combining the two distinct merits. Specifically, the SPR effect of the plasmonic metal can enhance the light-absorption range to the near-infrared, leading to the production of hot electrons.…”

Janus SMoZAZ′ (A = Si, Ge; Z, Z′ = N, P, As; Z ≠ Z′) monolayers: potential water-splitting photocatalyst with low carrier recombination rate

“…The renewable and environmentally friendly nature of solar and hydrogen energy, has made photocatalytic decomposition of water using sunlight a promising alternative to address environmental pollution and energy shortages. 1–9 The pioneering work of Fujishima and Honda in 1972 on TiO 2 semiconductors opened up extensive research interest in semiconductor-based photocatalysts. 10 However, traditional three-dimensional (3D) photocatalysts suffer from poor light absorption and high electron–hole recombination rates.…”