Ferroelectric polarization and thin-layered structure synergistically promoting CO2 photoreduction of Bi2MoO6

Abstract

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction for producing solar fuels is promising but severely restricted by the fast recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes and insufficient reactive sites of photocatalysts. Formation of an internal electric field is an effective route for facilitating charge separation, and two-dimensional structure construction is beneficial to increasing catalytic sites. Herein, ultrathin Bi₂MoO₆ nanosheets with strong ferroelectricity were prepared by a combined CTAB-assisted hydrothermal and corona poling post-treatment process for synergistically improving the CO₂ photoreduction activity. Without sacrificial agents and co-catalysts, the polarized Bi₂MoO₆ ultrathin nanosheets demonstrate a remarkable CO₂ reduction activity for CO production with a rate of 14.38 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in the gas–solid system, over 10 times enhancement than that of bulk Bi₂MoO₆. The combined strategies considerably promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes and enrich the reactive sites for CO₂ adsorption, which co-boost the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction performance of Bi₂MoO₆. In addition, a synergistically enhanced effect between corona poling and thin-layered structure was disclosed. This work provides corona poling as an efficient route for promoting charge separation of particulate photocatalysts, and offers new insights into synergistically improving the CO₂ photoreduction activity.