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Efficient reduction of CO 2 to CO by Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 photocatalyst under ultraviolet and visible light irradiation
Author(s) -
Qi Fengjiao,
Li Hailong,
Yang Zequn,
Zhao Jiexia,
Hu Yingchao,
Liu Hui
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
asia‐pacific journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.348
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1932-2143
pISSN - 1932-2135
DOI - 10.1002/apj.2499
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , materials science , visible spectrum , titanium dioxide , carbon monoxide , ultraviolet , irradiation , carbon dioxide , catalysis , electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide , heterojunction , photochemistry , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , physics , nuclear physics , metallurgy
Efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into energy‐bearing compounds using abundant solar energy is a promising technique that simultaneously responds to the concerns on global warming and energy shortage. The purpose of this study was to find a photocatalyst that can efficiently utilize sunlight for an efficient reduction of CO 2 to energy‐bearing carbon monoxide (CO). Silver phosphate/titanium dioxide (Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 ) hetero‐structured photocatalysts with different mole ratios of Ag 3 PO 4 to TiO 2 were synthesized by a facile precipitation method, and for the first time used for photocatalytic CO 2 reduction by water vapor (H 2 O). When the mole ratio of Ag3PO4 to TiO 2 was 0.15, the as‐synthesized photocatalyst exhibited the highest CO 2 reduction activity under ultraviolet (UV) and visible light irradiation, with the productivity of CO reaching as high as 74.84 μmol·g −1 within a 3‐h experiment. This is 3.5 and 11.7 times higher than that for the bare Ag 3 PO 4 and TiO 2 , respectively. The characterization results indicate that a heterojunction was formed between Ag 3 PO 4 and TiO 2 , which significantly promoted the photocatalytic CO 2 reduction reactions through facilitating the separation and migration of the photogenerated charge carriers. This study verified that the Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 catalyst can effectively utilize solar energy for reduction of CO 2 to CO.