Urchin-like band-matched Fe2O3@In2S3 hybrid as an efficient photocatalyst for CO2 reduction

Herein, an urchin-like Fe 2 O 3 @In 2 S 3 hybrid composite is designed and synthesized using a facile process. The composite efficiently harvests light in both the ultraviolet and visible regions, and the unique hierarchical structure provides several advantages for photocatalytic applications: (i) a suitable band-matching structure and broadband-light absorbing capacity enable the reduction of CO 2 into hydrocarbon, (ii) the extensive network of interfacial contact between nano-sized Fe 2 O 3 and In 2 S 3 significantly increases the separation of charge carriers and enhances the utilization of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and (iii) an abundance of surface oxygen vacancies provide numerous active sites for CO 2 molecule adsorption. The optimized Fe 2 O 3 @In 2 S 3 composite generated CO from the photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 at a rate of 42.83 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 , and no signs of deactivation were observed during continued testing for 32 h under 300 W Xe lamp irradiation.