Interfacial engineering enables confined growth of ultrafine CsPbBr3 quantum dots on UiO-66-g-P4VP for efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction

A novel ternary UiO-66- g -P4VP/CsPbBr₃ composite is rationally designed. • It achieves a high CO₂ reduction rate of 85.2 μmol g −1  h −1 under visible light. • The P4VP interlayer acts as a CO₂ adsorber and charge-transfer bridge. • A direct Z -scheme mechanism ensures efficient charge separation. Polymer interfacial engineering is developed to overcome the intrinsic charge-transfer barriers and instability caused by insulating ligands in MOF/perovskite composites. By covalently grafting poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) brushes onto UiO-66-NH₂, followed by in-situ confined growth of CsPbBr₃ quantum dots (QDs), we construct a ternary UiO-66- g -P4VP/CsPbBr₃ (UPC) photocatalyst. The P4VP interlayer serves triple synergistic functions including coordinating Pb 2+ to anchor ultrasmall monodisperse QDs, providing a charge transfer bridge for interfacial charge transfer, and enriching local CO₂ concentration. The optimized UPC-2 achieves an electron consumption rate of 85.2 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 for CO₂ reduction under visible light, 8.5 times that of pristine UiO-66-NH₂, with outstanding stability. Comprehensive spectroscopic, photoelectrochemical, and transient photovoltage analyses confirm a direct Z -scheme charge transfer mechanism that preserves strong redox potentials while suppressing interfacial recombination. This work establishes a versatile polymer-bridge strategy for designing durable, high-performance MOF/perovskite heterojunctions for solar fuel production. Download: Download high-res image (311KB) Download: Download full-size image