Efficient visible-light-driven CO2 reduction mediated by novel Au-doped BiOBr nanosheets

Photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 into valuable resources presents an efficient solution to mitigate the energy crisis and effects of climate change . However, the low efficiency of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction of photocatalysts under visible light irradiation limits their industrial applications. Bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) is a typical visible-light-driven photocatalyst with an appropriate band gap, but the charge separation efficiency still needs to be improved. In this work, the Au-doped BiOBr nanosheets with enhanced electrochemical characteristics were successfully synthesized through a simple one-step hydrothermal procedure. After Au-doping modification, the charge separation efficiency of BOB-Au-I sample were measured as 2.5 times than that of BiOBr nanosheets. And the BOB-Au-I samples exhibited an outstanding photocatalytic capacity for converting CO 2 to CO with a yield rate of approximately four times higher than that of BOB nanosheets under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the mechanism of CO 2 reduction was elucidated through in situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. This study provides a facile method for achieving Au-doping modification of BiOBr nanosheets for efficient reduction of CO 2 .