Constructing 2D bismuth-based heterostructure for highly efficient photocatalytic CO₂ reduction

Reforming carbon dioxide (CO₂) into fuels and valuable chemicals using solar energy holds significant potential for emission reduction and addressing energy supply challenges. The recombination of photocarriers remains a major obstacle, however, to enhancing solar energy conversion efficiency in the photocatalytic reaction process. For two-dimensional materials, constructing heterogeneous structures has emerged as an effective strategy to enhance the separation of photoexcited carriers by leveraging the internal electric field at the heterogeneous interface. Herein, we present a facile strategy for preparing Bi₄NbO₈Br /Bi₂WO₆ plate-on-plate Z-scheme junctions with a strong internal electric field by in situ synthesis. This unique heterostructure facilitates efficient separation and transport of photoexcited charges by harnessing the internal electric field induced by chemical bonding at the lateral interface. Impressively, the Bi₄NbO₈Br/Bi₂WO₆ heterostructure exhibits enhanced CO₂ photoreduction properties, along with a CO yield rate of approximately 35 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ under full light illumination. This work offers novel insights into the synthesis of unique heterostructures intended to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction.