Interfacial Engineering of Cage-Like Zncoox S-Scheme Heterojunction Embedded in Honeycomb N-Doped Graphitic Carbon for Enhanced Photocatalytic Co2 Reduction

Abstract

This study introduces a novel interfacial engineering approach for the in-situ growth of caged zinc-cobalt bimetallic oxides (ZnCoOx) on the surface and within a three-dimensional honeycomb N-doped graphitic carbon (3D N-GC) framework. This study presents the demonstration of an S-Scheme heterojunction structure, serving as an atomic-level charge transfer pathway for directed electron and carrier migration. The in-situ growth of ZnCoOx on the porous carbon substrate creates a plethora of active sites crucial for catalyzing the photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction. The resulting ZnCoOx/N-GC composites, characterized by a high specific surface area, provide an abundance of active sites for CO2 adsorption. Remarkably, the optimized ZnCoOx/N-GC photocatalyst demonstrates exceptional performance in converting CO2 into CH4 and CO under visible light exposure, achieving yields of 7.60 and 4.80 µmol h−1 g−1, respectively. This work showcases an innovative methodology for designing atomic-level interfaces in the synthesis of graphitic carbon materials and bimetallic oxides, paving the way for future research endeavors in this field. The combination of bimetallic oxides with N-GC materials in this study set the stage for further advancements in the field of photocatalysis.

Keywords: CO2RR, ZnCoOx, N-doped graphitic carbon, Photocatalysis