MXene‐induced construction of SnS2 nano‐arrays with sulfur vacancies for high‐efficiency photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Solar‐driven CO2 reduction has gained significant attention as a sustainable approach for CO2 utilization, enabling the selective production of fuels and chemicals. SnS2, a non‐precious metal sulfide semiconductor, has great potential in photocatalytic CO2 reduction due to its unique physicochemical properties. However, low electrical conductivity and susceptibility to aggregation of pure SnS2 lead to a high charge recombination rate and hinder the photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, we report that single/few‐layered MXene induces ordered growth of SnS2 through electrostatic interactions and in situ solvothermal heating. Interconnected SnS2 nano‐array with abundant sulfur vacancies were successfully prepared on MXene surface (Vs‐SnS2/MXene). This unique structure promotes the separation and migration of photogenerated charges and effectively inhibits electron‐hole complexation. Compared with pure SnS2, the average lifetime of photogenerated charges in Vs‐SnS2/MXene has increased by 45.6%. Meanwhile, its CO production rate reached 47.6 μmol⋅g−1⋅h−1, which was 2.6‐fold higher than that of pure SnS2 (18.3 μmol⋅g−1⋅h−1), showing excellent photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance in gas‐solid‐phase reaction mode. In addition, Vs‐SnS2/MXene also showed excellent stability. The results showcased the transformative potential of integration strategies for designing high‐performance photocatalytic systems.