Direct Z-scheme charge transfer of Bi2WO6/InVO4 interface for efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction

InVO 4 possesses great potential in photocatalytic CO 2 conversion. It is still highly desired to develop efficient strategies of photocatalyst fabrication to prevent its attenuated activity caused by the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole. Herein, a direct Z-scheme heterojunction of Bi 2 WO 6 /InVO 4 nanosheets is constructed via two-step hydrothermal synthesis. The Bi 2 WO 6 /InVO 4 composite exhibits a superior photocatalytic performance toward CO 2 reduction into CO and CH 4 under visible light irradiation. The CO evolution rate reaches up to 17.97 μmol g −1 h −1 , while the CH 4 production rate is 1.13 μmol g −1 h −1 , which are higher than those catalyzed by bare InVO 4 and bare Bi 2 WO 6 . Based on the photoelectrochemical results, hydroxyl radical test, Scanning Kelvin Probe (SKP) and electron spin resonance (ESR) investigation, the enhanced activity of CO 2 reduction can be attributed to a Z-scheme electron transfer at the interface to promote spatial charge separation, which effectively preserves the reduction ability of photoelectron on the conduction band of InVO 4 for CO 2 conversion.