Visible‐Light Photoreduction of CO2 to CH4 over ZnTe‐Modified TiO2 Coral‐Like Nanostructures

Rapidly depleting fossil fuels and the related environmental issues are two alarming global concerns the world is facing today. To address these issues efficiently, future energy requirements need to be fulfilled by renewable and environmentally friendly resources. In this context, we report the ZnT...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemphyschem 2017-11, Vol.18 (22), p.3203-3210
Main Authors: Ehsan, Muhammad Fahad, Khan, Rabia, He, Tao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon dioxide
carbon dioxide fixation
Charge transfer
Electron microscopy
Energy requirements
Energy transmission
Fossil fuels
Heterojunctions
Methane
Photocatalysis
Photocatalysts
Photochemistry
photoreduction
Scanning electron microscopy
Spectrum analysis
titania
Titanium dioxide
Titanium oxides
X-ray spectroscopy
X-rays
Zinc tellurides
ZnTe
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Summary:Rapidly depleting fossil fuels and the related environmental issues are two alarming global concerns the world is facing today. To address these issues efficiently, future energy requirements need to be fulfilled by renewable and environmentally friendly resources. In this context, we report the ZnTe‐modified TiO2 photocatalysts with varying amounts of ZnTe (1.96, 16, and 65 %) for the photoreduction of carbon dioxide into methane under visible light. The hydrothermally synthesized photocatalysts have been characterized by using various techniques, such as X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis for surface‐area measurements. The photocatalyst with 1.96 % ZnTe shows the best results, which are attributed to its high BET specific surface area and the formation of a heterojunction at the interface, which can facilitate efficient charge transfer. Carbon dioxide fixation: ZnTe‐modified TiO2 photocatalysts with a ZnTe content as low as 1.96 % exhibit good visible‐light activity for the photoreduction of CO2 to CH4, which is attributed to its high BET specific surface area and the formation of a p–n junction at the ZnTe/TiO2 interface that can facilitate the charge transfer.
ISSN:1439-4235
1439-7641
DOI:10.1002/cphc.201700404