Synthesis of basalt fiber@Zn1-xMgxO core/shell nanostructures for selective photoreduction of CO2 to CO

This study focused on the development of a catalyst for converting carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming, into a beneficial energy source. Core@shell structured particles, BF@ZnO and BF@Zn(1-x)MgxO, are synthesized in order to selectively obtain CO gas from the photoreduction of CO2. A modified sol-gel process is used to synthesize the core@shell structures with a three-dimensional microstructure, which are subsequently characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDAX), ultraviolet (UV)-vis absorption, photoluminescence (PL), and photocurrent density analysis. The CO2 adsorption abilities of the core@shell particles are estimated through CO2-temperature programmed desorption (TPD). The core@shell structured BF@Zn1-xMgxO particles including the Mg ingredient significantly increased the adsorption of CO2 gas at the microfiber/nanoparticle interface. Both the BF@ZnO and BF@Zn1-xMgxO particles selectively reduce the carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, with almost no other reduced products being observed. These results are attributed to the effective adsorption of CO2 gas and inhibited recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. BF@Zn0.75Mg0.25O exhibited superior photocatalytic behavior and selectively produced 5.0 mu molg(cat)(-1) L-1 of CO gas after 8 h of reaction. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.