Chemical-tailoring LaFeO3 nanofibers enable efficient dispersion of Ag nanoparticles for photocatalytic CO2 conversion to CH3OH

Synthesizing value-added solar fuels represents a promising solution to address energy and environmental issues. Its efficiency is determined by the performance of photocatalysts, and the main challenges lie in achieving efficient interfacial charge transfer and utilization, which are highly related to the assembly of cocatalysts. Herein, we design La 3+ -defect LaFeO 3 nanofibers with a higher specific surface area to achieve highly dispersed loading of Ag nanoparticles through a one-step coaxial electrospinning technique. Characterizations and theoretical calculations revealed that La 3+ defects favor the anchoring of Ag nanoparticles and the formation of a Schottky junction, thereby facilitating the interfacial charge separation and transfer. Additionally, this synergistic engineering efficiently boosts CO 2 adsorption/activation and strengthens the proton affinity, preferentially driving the multi-electron reduction. Owing to these benefits, the optimized nanofibrous Ag/La 0.9 FeO 3 sample exhibits promising photothermal catalytic performance, yielding CH 3 OH of 7.12 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 , which is 2.8-fold over pristine LaFeO 3 , along with good stability and selectivity. This work highlights the effect of interfacial construction on developing advanced photocatalysts.