Highly Selective Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to CO Over Ru-Modified Bi2MoO6

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a promising strategy for sustainable development. Optimizing the structure of photocatalysts to facilitate the separation of electron-hole pairs for improved performance is not only highly desirable but also challenging. Aiming to improve the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 , Ru is selected and applied to modify Bi2MoO6. Compared to pure Bi2MoO6, Ru-Bi2MoO6 exhibits substantially excellent photocatalytic activity in CO2 reduction with CO generation of 142.77 mu mol(-1) g(-1 )and selectivity of 100% under simulated sunlight. The enhancement might be attributed to the following: 1) Ru-0 acting as an electron acceptor facilitates unique interaction and activation with C=O, 2) Ru4+ doping enhances light absorption with addition impure energy levels within the bandgap, 3) ultrathin layers is in favor of improving the specific surface area and providing more exposed sites for CO2 adsorption and activation, and 4) interfaces between Ru and Bi2MoO6 accelerate charge transfer and separation, and electrons and holes are efficiently transferred to Ru and Ru4+, respectively, facilitating the reduction and oxidation reactions. This work provides a new approach to improve photocatalytic CO2 abatement and further presents valuable new insights into the design modification of photocatalytic systems.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a significant improvement in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 by modifying Bi2MoO6 with Ru. The unique interaction and activation with CO2, enhanced light absorption, optimized surface area, and accelerated charge transfer and separation contribute to the excellent performance of Ru-Bi2MoO6. This work presents a new approach to improve photocatalytic CO2 abatement and provides valuable insights into the design modification of photocatalytic systems.