CuCo2O4/CeO2 S-scheme photocatalyst for promoted CO2 photoreduction to CH3OH

The CH3OH yield from CO2 is indispensable for generating energy demands for a sustainable and green environment. Here, an effective mesoporous CuCo2O4/CeO2 nanocomposites S-scheme heterojunction was originated for CH3OH yield from CO2 under visible illumination. TEM and XRD verified that the obtained CuCo2O4/CeO2 nanocomposite is spherical particles with 20 +/- 5 nm size with the coexistence of the spinel CuCo2O4 and cubic CeO2 crystalline structure. The constructed CuCo2O4/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalysts exhibited an outstanding CH3OH yield compared with pristine CeO2 NPs. Among all nanocomposites, the CO2 conversion over 12% CuCo2O4/CeO2 heterojunction allowed a maximum CH3OH production with the dramatically promoted yield, i.e., 1320 mmolg(-1) within 9 h, which was enhanced three times larger than pristine CeO2 NPs. The high CH3OH product ascribed to good primary sites, and the effective charge separation at the heterojunction photocatalyst facilitated the CO2 accommodating at the CuCo2O4/CeO2 surface and provided a larger CH3OH yield than pristine CeO2. PL and photocurrent density responses were utilized to explore the CO2 photoreduction mechanism over CuCo2O4/CeO2 nanocomposites. In addition, the recovered photocatalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic stability without losing CH3OH yield after five consecutive runs. (C) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A highly efficient CuCo2O4/CeO2 nanocomposite was developed for CH3OH production from CO2 under visible light illumination. The nanocomposite exhibited outstanding CH3OH yield and photocatalytic stability.