Sharing N atoms boosting Z-scheme charge transfer in SrTiO2N/CNx heterojunctions for selective photoreduction of CO2 to CH4

Qing-Shan Wang; Yi-Chao Yuan; Wei-Guo Pan; Rui-Tang Guo

doi:10.1039/d4dt02037e

Sharing N atoms boosting Z-scheme charge transfer in SrTiO₂N/CNx heterojunctions for selective photoreduction of CO₂ to CH₄

Dalton Trans. 2024 Sep 18;53(36):15048-15058. doi: 10.1039/d4dt02037e.

Authors

Qing-Shan Wang¹, Yi-Chao Yuan¹, Wei-Guo Pan^{2

3}, Rui-Tang Guo^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 200093 Shanghai, China. [email protected].
² College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, 200090 Shanghai, China. [email protected].
³ Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China.

PMID: 39206556
DOI: 10.1039/d4dt02037e

Abstract

Exploring charge transfer channels in the Z-scheme heterojunction is an essential challenge. A strategy to precisely connect g-C₃N₄ with SrTiO₃ through sharing N atoms was developed to create a chemically bonded Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst (STON/CNx). By sharing the N atoms, not only was the activity of the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ greatly improved, but the selectivity of the product was also changed. The CH₄ product rate over optimal STON/CNx was 102.4 μmol g^-1 h^-1, with a 98.9% product selectivity. Both characterization and theoretical calculations indicate that N atoms tightly connect the heterostructures and serve as a channel for electron transport, facilitating the transfer of photogenerated electrons. This research lays a way for creating a sharing atoms' Z-scheme interface, providing the potential for exciting future photocatalytic applications.