In this study, Co/CeO₂-CN composite materials were successfully synthesized through solid-phase synthesis and hydrogen reduction. The photocatalytic performance tests revealed that the CO production rates of CeO₂-CN and Co-loaded CeO₂-CN were 10.2 and 23.5 µmol·g-1·h-1, respectively, which were 1.8 and 4.2 times that of the pure CN photocatalyst. Therefore, this study provides a simple strategy for exploring catalysts with higher selectivity for the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to produce CO.

Abstract

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the utilization of solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into high-energy fuels and chemicals. However, existing photocatalysts generally suffer from low product selectivity. Therefore, the development of efficient photocatalysts with high product selectivity still faces various challenges. In this paper, Co/CeO₂-C₃N₄ ternary composite photocatalysts were synthesized by the solid-phase synthesis technique to improve the redox capacity and CO selectivity in the CO₂ photoreduction process. By introducing Co as a metal co-catalyst, the heterogeneous structure of CeO₂-C₃N₄ obtained better bandgap properties, which provided a promising strategy for designing efficient photocatalysts with high product selectivity.