Fabrication of ultrafine ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles for efficient photocatalytic reduction CO2 under visible light illumination

A one-pot, solvent-thermal process was used to create the ultrafine ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles photocatalyst . During the solvent-thermal process, the in situ self-forming NaCl not only served as a “cage” to confine the ion diffusion, but also acted as a microreactor for nanocrystallite growth. An average particle size of ∼10   nm and a high-specific surface area of ∼112.9   m 2 /g were observed for the ultrafine ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles Owing to the synergistic effect of ultrafine particle size, the full utilization of the visible light region and high conduction band (CB) position, ultrafine ZnFe 2 O 4 photocatalyst displayed an efficient photocatalytic CO 2 reduction under visible light illumination. Besides, the ultrafine ZnFe 2 O 4 photocatalyst showed high production selectivity for CH 3 CHO and C 2 H 5 OH generation in aqueous CO 2 /NaHCO 3 solution. This work may provide a new idea for the synthesis of new high-efficiency photocatalysts.