Bismuth-Based Photocatalysts for Solar Photocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Conversion

Photocatalytic CO2 conversion into solar fuels is an effective means for simultaneously solving both the greenhouse effect and energy crisis. In the past ten years, bismuth-based photocatalysts for environmental remediation have experienced a golden period of development. However, solar photocatalytic CO2 conversion has only been developed over the past five years and, until now, no reviews have been published on bismuth-based photocatalysts for the photocatalytic conversion of CO2. For the first time, solar photocatalytic CO2 conversion systems are reviewed herein. Synthetic methods and photocatalytic CO2 performances of bismuth-based photocatalysts, including Sillen-structured BiOX (X=Cl, Br, I); Aurivillius-structured Bi2MO6 (M=Mo, W); and Scheelite-structured BiVO4, Bi2S3, BiYO3, and BiOIO3, are summarized. In addition, activity-enhancing strategies for this photocatalyst family, including oxygen vacancies, bismuth-rich strategy, facet control, conventional type II heterojunction, Z-scheme heterojunction, and cocatalyst deposition, are reviewed. Finally, the main mechanistic research methods, such as in situ FTIR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, are presented. Challenges and research trends reported in studies of bismuth-based photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO2 conversion are discussed and summarized.