Cu-doped SnS nanosheets with superior visible-light photocatalytic CO reduction performance

• Published in: Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP 2023-02, Vol.25 (6), p.5196-522
• Main Authors: Di, Tingmin, Cao, Tengfei, Liu, Han, Wang, Shenggao, Zhang, Jun
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 1463-9076; 1463-9084
• DOI: 10.1039/d2cp04993g

Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction utilizing solar energy is a clean, environment-friendly strategy converting CO 2 into hydrocarbon fuels to solve the energy crisis and climate issues. Herein, we report the synthesis of Cu-doped SnS 2 nanosheets via a simple hydrothermal method. The prepared Cu-doped SnS 2 composite displays superior photocatalytic CO 2 reduction activity. The optimized CH 3 OH yield of the composite is two times higher than that of pure SnS 2 . The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to effective charge separation resulting from the thinner nanosheets and delocalization of electrons from SnS 2 to Cu, high visible light utilization efficiency, enlarged S BET , negative shift of the flat-band potential and reduced charge transfer resistance with the introduction of Cu atoms. This work suggests the potential application of Cu-doped SnS 2 in photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. A Cu doped SnS 2 photocatalyst was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process and displayed enhanced CO 2 reduction activity, which is attributed to the narrowed band gap, enlarged S BET , efficient charge separation resulted from Cu doping.