Atomically Dispersed Electron Traps in Cu Doped BiOBr Boosting CO2 Reduction to Methanol by Pure H2O

Abstract

AbstractOverall photocatalytic conversion of CO2 and pure H2O driven by solar irradiation into methanol provides a sustainable approach for extraterrestrial synthesis. However, few photocatalysts exhibit efficient production of CH3OH. Here, BiOBr nanosheets supporting atomic Cu catalysts for CO2 reduction are reported. The investigation of charge dynamics demonstrates a strong built‐in electric field established by isolated Cu sites as electron traps to facilitate charge transfer and stabilize charge carriers. As result, the catalysts exhibit a substantially high catalytic performance with methanol productivity of 627.66 µmol gcatal−1 h−1 and selectivity of ≈90% with an apparent quantum efficiency of 12.23%. Mechanism studies reveal that the high selectivity of methanol can be ascribed to energy‐favorable hydrogenation of *CO intermediate giving rise to *CHO. The unfavorable adsorption on Cu1@BiOBr prevents methanol from being oxidized by photogenerated holes. This work highlights the great potential of single‐atom photocatalysts in chemical transformation and energy storage reactions.