Recent advances in interface engineering of bismuth-based materials for photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Abstract

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into value added products is considered as a promising technology to mitigate the global warming and energy crisis. Although extensive research has been carried out on various semiconductors to achieve better photocatalytic conversion, the results are unsatisfactory. Bismuth based photocatalytic materials is explored for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 owing to their narrow band gap and hybridized energy state available in the conduction band, which promotes charge separation. Furthermore, the ease of preparation through simple wet chemical approaches with diverse morphological features promises them for high activity and extended reuse. However, bismuth-based materials suffer from poor visible light response and increased recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers. Thus, various strategies doping with metals and nonmetals, cocatalyst loading, heterojunctioning with suitable semiconductors, defect engineering and morphology control have been employed to improve the photocatalytic performances. In this review, interfacial engineering of different bismuth-based materials is discussed with respect to doping, cocatalyst loading and construction of heterojunction. This review addresses the limitations of existing bismuth-based materials for designing the new generation of materials to reach practical applications. Finally, the challenges and scope of Bi-based materials for diverse applications are presented.