Hollow core–shell heterojunction TAPB-COF@ZnIn2S4 as highly efficient photocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon-neutral fuels using solar energy is crucial for achieving energy sustainability. However, the high carrier charge recombination and low CO2 adsorption capacity of the photocatalysts present significant challenges. In this paper, a TAPB-COF@ZnIn2S4-30 (TAPB-COFZ-30) heterojunction photocatalyst was constructed by in situ growth of ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) on a hollow covalent organic framework (HCOF) with a hollow core–shell structure for CO2 to CO conversion. Both experimental studies and theoretical calculations indicate that the construction of heterojunctions improves the efficiency of carrier separation and utilisation in photocatalysis. The yield of photoreduction of CO2 to CO by the TAPB-COFZ-30 heterojunction photocatalyst reached 2895.94 μmol g−1 with high selectivity (95.75%). This study provides a feasible strategy for constructing highly active core–shell composite photocatalysts to optimize CO2 reduction.