Black phosphorus/Bi2MoO6 Z-scheme heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction

The photocatalytic CO2 reaction is considered to be an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper presents how a novel and efficient 2D/2D black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNS)-Bi2MoO6 photocatalyst was synthesized and used for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Compared to Bi2MoO6, the photocatalytic activity of the BPNS-Bi2MoO6 composite photocatalyst was significantly improved. When the mass ratio of BPNS to Bi2MoO6 was 1:100, the BPNS-Bi2MoO6 photocatalyst exhibited optimal activity for photocatalytic CO2 reduction, and the production of CO reached 72.8 & mu;mol g(-1) after reaction for 4 h, which is 1.5 times more than that of Bi2MoO6. Moreover, the BPNS-Bi2MoO6 showed high stability for the photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction; after reaction for four cycle experiments, the production of CO only reduced by 10%. The enhanced light absortion, enhanced separation of electrons and holes, and the tight 2D/2D heterojunction formed between BPNS and Bi2MoO6 account for the high photocatalytic performance of BPNS/Bi2MoO6.

Automated summary

This paper presents the synthesis of a novel and efficient 2D/2D black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNS)-Bi2MoO6 photocatalyst and its application in photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The photocatalytic activity of the BPNS-Bi2MoO6 composite photocatalyst was significantly improved compared to Bi2MoO6. The BPNS-Bi2MoO6 photocatalyst exhibited optimal activity for photocatalytic CO2 reduction with CO production reaching 72.8 μmol g(-1) after 4 hours of reaction, which is 1.5 times more than that of Bi2MoO6. The enhanced light absorption, separation of electrons and holes, and the tight 2D/2D heterojunction formed between BPNS and Bi2MoO6 contribute to the high photocatalytic performance of BPNS/Bi2MoO6.