Design of a ZnO/Poly(vinylidene fluoride)inverse opal film for photon localization-assisted full solar spectrum photocatalysis

Owing to its photonic band gap(PBG)and slow light effects,aniline black(AB)-poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)inverse opal(IO)photonic crystal(PC)was constructed to promote the utility of light and realize photothermal synergetic catalysis.As a highly efficient reaction platform with the capability of restricting heat,a microreactor was introduced to further amplify the photothermal effects of near infrared(NIR)radiation.The photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO/0.5AB-PVDF IO(Z0.5A)increases 1.63-fold compared to that of pure ZnO film under a full solar spectrum,indicating the effectiveness of synergetic promotion by slow light and photothermal effects.Moreover,a 5.85-fold increase is achieved by combining Z0.5A with a microreactor compared to the film in a beaker.The photon localization effect of PVDF IO was further exemplified by finite-difference time-domain(FDTD)calculations.In conclusion,photonic crystal-microreactor enhanced photothermal catalysis has immense potential for alleviating the deteriorating water environment.

Efficient charge relay steering in Pd nanoparticles coupled with the heterojunction for boosting CO_(2)photoreduction to C_(2)H_(6)

Solar-driven CO_(2)conversion to prepare value-added products is highly desirable but challenging.Central to the achievement of multi-carbon products via CO_(2)photoconversion is to break the bottlenecks of C-C coupling and multi-electron transfer.Herein,a charge relay system consisting of Pd-decorated BiOCl-wrapped CuBi_(2)O_(4)is reported by taking advantage of the synergy of Pd nanoparticles(PdNPs)and heterojunction for efficient CO_(2)-to-C_(2)H_(6)photoconversion.The C_(2)H_(6)production rate reached 167.1µmol g^(-1)h^(-1)with the electron selectivity of 81.1%in the absence of any sacrificial agents.The spectroscopic characterizations indicated that BiOCl nanosheets,acting as the charge relay,directionally transferred the photogenerated electrons from itself and CuBi2O4 nanorods to PdNPs for C-C coupling.The coordinated ensemble of PdNPs and heterojunction significantly elevated the charge separation and transfer efficiency.Moreover,the in-situ spectroscopic analysis supported by theoretical simulations demonstrated that the electron-rich PdNPs generated by the charge relay of PdNPs and heterojunction optimized the CO_(2)-to-C_(2)H_(6)reaction pathway and reduced the energy barrier of the key*CHOCO intermediates.This work develops an innovative strategy to design the multifunctional catalysts for the photoconversion of CO_(2)to value-added carbon products.