In situ construction of 1D/2D ZnO/graphdiyne oxide heterostructures for enhanced photocatalytic reduction in a gas phase

In this study, a 1D/2D ZnO nanofiber/graphdiyne oxide heterojunction was designed for photocatalytic CO2 reduction, and the difference between graphdiyne and graphdiyne oxide was investigated as co-catalysts. The ZGDO heterostructure has strong reactant adsorption capacity due to the enlarged specific surface area and abundant hydrophilic oxygen-containing functional groups. DFT calculations, EPR, and in situ XPS further verified the S-scheme charge transfer mechanism in ZGDO. In contrast, the abilities of GD to adsorb CO2 and enhance light absorption are not as good as those of GDO, and the band structure of GD is not conducive to the formation of a favorable electric field drive at the interface with ZnO. The CO yield of ZGDO with only 3% GDO was up to 34.9 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) in the gas-phase photocatalytic reduction of CO2, which was 4.4, 24, and 1.5 times that of ZnO, GDO, and ZnO/GD, respectively. This work opens new possibilities for the application of new non-metallic photocatalysts in the photoreduction of CO2.

Automated summary

In this study, a 1D/2D ZnO nanofiber/graphdiyne oxide heterojunction was designed as a photocatalyst for CO2 reduction. The difference between graphdiyne and graphdiyne oxide as co-catalysts was investigated. It was found that graphdiyne oxide had better abilities in adsorbing CO2 and enhancing light absorption compared to graphdiyne, resulting in higher CO yield in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2.