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Fabrication of Bi 2 WO 6 /Cu/WO 3 All‐Solid‐State Z‐Scheme Composite Photocatalyst to Improve CO 2 Photoreduction under Visible Light Irradiation
Author(s) -
Wen Teh Yee,
Wei Goh Yien,
Ying Kong Xin,
Ng BoonJunn,
Yong SiekTing,
Chai SiangPiao
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemcatchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.497
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1867-3899
pISSN - 1867-3880
DOI - 10.1002/cctc.201901653
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , overpotential , materials science , visible spectrum , band gap , electron transfer , photochemistry , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , catalysis , optoelectronics , chemistry , electrochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , engineering
Photocatalysis has been widely explored to alleviate the high atmospheric CO 2 content by converting CO 2 into energy‐rich fuels. Bi 2 WO 6 shows great potential in photocatalysis due to its high chemical stability, non‐toxicity and appropriate band position. However, the CH 4 yield from CO 2 photoreduction over bulk Bi 2 WO 6 is relatively low ascribed to its single‐component structure. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, Z‐scheme system with photosystem I (PS I)‐photosystem II (PS II) coupling via an electron mediator can improve charge separation and at the same time, renders large overpotential, attributed to the vectorial electron transfer from PS II to PS I. In this contribution, an all‐solid‐state Z‐scheme photocatalyst that is composed of 2D Bi 2 WO 6 nanosheets coupled with WO 3 along with the incorporation of copper foil sheet as the electron mediator is designed to improve the CO 2 reduction efficiency. The Bi 2 WO 6 /Cu/WO 3 composite demonstrated a remarkable CH 4 yield of 8.80 μmol g −1 catalyst over 8 hours of visible light illumination, which is superior to the Bi 2 WO 6 standalone.