Controllable synthesis of Cu2O decorated WO3 nanosheets with dominant (0 0 1) facets for photocatalytic CO2 reduction under visible-light irradiation

Abstract Systematical design and controllable assembly of nanostructured photocatalysts have received much attention in the field of CO2 reduction. The Cu2O decroted hexagonal WO3 nanosheets with and without dominant (0 0 1) facets (Cu2O/WO3-001 and Cu2O/WO3) were synthesized vertically on the surface of fluorine-doped stannic oxide (FTO) substrate and their photocatalytic performance for CO2 reduction were evaluated in the presence of H2O vapour under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). The Cu2O/WO3-001 catalyst exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than those of Cu2O, WO3-001 and Cu2O/WO3. The maximal product yields of CO, O2 and H2 for Cu2O/WO3-001 after 24 h illumination reached 11.7, 5.7 and 0.7 μmol, respectively, and good cycling ability was discovered after 4 cycles. The (0 0 1) facet of hexagonal phase WO3 nanosheet was in favor of the H2O oxidation in the CO2 reduction process. Additionally, the Z-scheme charge transfer mode of Cu2O/WO3 heterojunction could promote photoinduced charge separation and enhance redox ability of the separated electrons and holes, leading to excellent photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance. The study may provide some insights into the coherent design of specific nanosheet photocatalysts with Z-scheme charge transfer for CO2 reduction.

[1]  Juan M. Coronado,et al.  Photocatalytic materials: recent achievements and near future trends , 2014 .

[2]  M. Cargnello,et al.  Tailoring photocatalytic nanostructures for sustainable hydrogen production. , 2014, Nanoscale.

[3]  T. Ishihara,et al.  Recent Progress in Two-Dimensional Oxide Photocatalysts for Water Splitting. , 2014, The journal of physical chemistry letters.

[4]  Junwang Tang,et al.  Visible light-driven pure water splitting by a nature-inspired organic semiconductor-based system. , 2014, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[5]  Wonjoon Choi,et al.  Enhanced thermopower wave via nanowire bonding and grain boundary fusion in combustion of fuel/CuO–Cu2O–Cu hybrid composites , 2015 .

[6]  Shuangquan Zang,et al.  Indirect Z-Scheme BiOI/g-C3N4 Photocatalysts with Enhanced Photoreduction CO2 Activity under Visible Light Irradiation. , 2016, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[7]  T. Xie,et al.  Highly Efficient CdS/WO3 Photocatalysts: Z-Scheme Photocatalytic Mechanism for Their Enhanced Photocatalytic H2 Evolution under Visible Light , 2014 .

[8]  X. Duan,et al.  High Surface Area Tunnels in Hexagonal WO₃. , 2015, Nano letters.

[9]  M. Jaroniec,et al.  All‐Solid‐State Z‐Scheme Photocatalytic Systems , 2014, Advanced materials.

[10]  Ying-Chih Pu,et al.  Modulation of charge carrier dynamics of NaxH2−xTi3O7-Au-Cu2O Z-scheme nanoheterostructures through size effect , 2015 .

[11]  Somnath C. Roy,et al.  Toward solar fuels: photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbons. , 2010, ACS nano.

[12]  Peidong Yang,et al.  Semiconductor nanowires for energy conversion , 2010, 2010 3rd International Nanoelectronics Conference (INEC).

[13]  T. Ohno,et al.  Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 over a hybrid photocatalyst composed of WO3 and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) under visible light , 2014 .

[14]  Shaohui Li,et al.  Carbon coated Cu2O nanowires for photo-electrochemical water splitting with enhanced activity , 2015 .

[15]  Yong Zhou,et al.  Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 into Renewable Hydrocarbon Fuels: State‐of‐the‐Art Accomplishment, Challenges, and Prospects , 2014, Advanced materials.

[16]  Zhifeng Liu,et al.  Highly efficient photocatalyst based on all oxides WO3/Cu2O heterojunction for photoelectrochemical water splitting , 2017 .

[17]  A. Umar,et al.  Hierarchical WO3 nanostructures assembled by nanosheets and their applications in wastewater purification , 2016 .

[18]  Hui‐Ming Cheng,et al.  Crystal facet-dependent photocatalytic oxidation and reduction reactivity of monoclinic WO3 for solar energy conversion , 2012 .

[19]  Jianguo Liu,et al.  Ultrathin, single-crystal WO(3) nanosheets by two-dimensional oriented attachment toward enhanced photocatalystic reduction of CO(2) into hydrocarbon fuels under visible light. , 2012, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[20]  Meilan Pan,et al.  Facet-dependent catalytic activity of nanosheet-assembled bismuth oxyiodide microspheres in degradation of bisphenol A. , 2015, Environmental science & technology.

[21]  Chunguang Chen,et al.  Selective Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Ethylene and Ethanol on Copper(I) Oxide Catalysts , 2015 .

[22]  Jianshe Liu,et al.  Semiconductor heterojunction photocatalysts: design, construction, and photocatalytic performances. , 2014, Chemical Society reviews.

[23]  E. Hensen,et al.  Acid catalytic properties of reduced tungsten and niobium-tungsten oxides , 2015 .

[24]  Tuo Wang,et al.  Monoclinic WO3 nanomultilayers with preferentially exposed (002) facets for photoelectrochemical water splitting , 2015 .

[25]  L. Torres-Martínez,et al.  Characterization and photocatalytic properties of hexagonal and monoclinic WO3 prepared via microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis , 2014 .

[26]  Zhengu Chen,et al.  Hierarchical Nanostructured WO3 with Biomimetic Proton Channels and Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductivity for Electrochemical Energy Storage. , 2015, Nano letters.

[27]  Hongchang Yao,et al.  Enhanced Photoreduction CO₂ Activity over Direct Z-Scheme α-Fe₂O₃/Cu₂O Heterostructures under Visible Light Irradiation. , 2015, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[28]  Lain‐Jong Li,et al.  Emerging energy applications of two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides , 2015 .

[29]  M. Leskelä,et al.  WO3 photocatalysts: Influence of structure and composition , 2012 .

[30]  Xingguang Zhang,et al.  Synthetic strategies to nanostructured photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to solar fuels and chemicals , 2015 .

[31]  Xianzhi Fu,et al.  Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with H2O to CH4 on Cu(I) supported TiO2 nanosheets with defective {001} facets. , 2015, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[32]  Jincheng Liu,et al.  Oxygen vacancy-enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic activity of TiO2 sphere–W18O49 nanowire bundle heterojunction , 2015 .

[33]  Michael H. Huang,et al.  Strong Facet Effects on Interfacial Charge Transfer Revealed through the Examination of Photocatalytic Activities of Various Cu2O–ZnO Heterostructures , 2017 .

[34]  Jacek K. Stolarczyk,et al.  Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 on TiO2 and other semiconductors. , 2013, Angewandte Chemie.

[35]  Jinlong Gong,et al.  Tungsten Oxide Single Crystal Nanosheets for Enhanced Multichannel Solar Light Harvesting , 2015, Advanced materials.

[36]  José Solla-Gullón,et al.  Production of methanol from CO2 electroreduction at Cu2O and Cu2O/ZnO-based electrodes in aqueous solution , 2015 .

[37]  Jiajun Wang,et al.  Preparation of 2D WO3 Nanomaterials with Enhanced Catalytic Activities: Current Status and Perspective , 2015 .

[38]  Gang Chen,et al.  Urea-assisted synthesis of ultra-thin hexagonal tungsten trioxide photocatalyst sheets , 2015, Journal of Materials Science.

[39]  R. Marschall,et al.  Semiconductor Composites: Strategies for Enhancing Charge Carrier Separation to Improve Photocatalytic Activity , 2014 .