Fabrication of Black In2O3 with Dense Oxygen Vacancy through Dual Functional Carbon Doping for Enhancing Photothermal CO2 Hydrogenation

Photothermocatalytic CO2 reduction as the channel of the energy and environmental issues resolution has captured persistent attention in recent years. In2O3 has been prompted to be a potential photothermal catalyst in this sector on account of its unique physicochemical properties. However, different from the metal-based photothermal catalyst with the nature of efficient light-to-thermal conversion and H-2 dissociation, the wide-bandgap semiconductor needs to be modified to possess wide-wavelength-range absorption and the active surface. It remains a challenge to achieve the two aims simultaneously via a single material modulation approach. In this study, one strategy of carbon doping can empower In2O3 with two advantageous modifications. Carbon doping can reduce the formation energy of oxygen vacancy, which induces the generation of oxygen-vacancy-riched material. The introduction of oxygen defect levels and carbon doping levels in the bandgap of In2O3 significantly reduces this bandgap, which endows it full-spectral and intensive solar light absorption. Therefore, the carbon doped In2O3 achieves effective light-to-thermal conversion and delivers a 123.6 mmol g(-1) h(-1) of CO generation rate with near-unity selectivity, as well as prominent stability in photothermocatalytic CO2 reduction.

Automated summary

In this study, carbon-doped In2O3 was shown to possess full-spectral and high-intensity light absorption, achieving effective light-to-thermal conversion for CO2 reduction with high gas generation rate and stability.