Constructing atomic surface concaves on Bi5O7Br nanotube for efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction

The development of advanced photocatalysts for CO2 reduction (CO2R) has attracted intensive interest but is severely plagued by the intrinsically narrow photo-responsive range, inefficient carrier separation of the current supports. Herein, the unconventional atomic surface concaves with Bi-O-Br complex vacancies on thin Bi5O7Br nanotubes were designed and successfully synthesized. This concave-rich structures provide electron localized enrichment regions that could address the above two issues simultaneously. The unique concaves serve as the active sites that enable the exceptional capacity for the capture and activation of CO2 and the formation of key intermediates. Ultimately, an ultrahigh CO yield rate of 30.96 mu mol g-1 h-1 was obtained under ambient con-ditions without anchoring extra metal active species or any sacrificial agents. Our work not only provides a promising support but also proposes a unique structure to optimize the photocatalytic performance.

Automated summary

Unconventional atomic surface concaves with Bi-O-Br complex vacancies were designed and synthesized on thin Bi5O7Br nanotubes, addressing the issues of narrow photo-responsive range and inefficient carrier separation. These unique concave-rich structures served as active sites, enabling exceptional capture and activation of CO2 and formation of key intermediates. An ultrahigh CO yield rate of 30.96μmol/g/h was achieved under ambient conditions without extra metal active species or sacrificial agents. This work provides a promising support and a unique structure to optimize photocatalytic performance.