ZIF‐8 Decorated WO 3 Nanoplates with Robust Surface Activation for the Enhanced Performances in Photocatalytic N 2 Fixation

Abstract In order to achieve the activation of the inert N≡N triple bonds during the photo‐derived N 2 fixation, WO 3 /ZIF‐8 heterogeneous materials with controlled ZIF‐8 coating layer on WO 3 nanoplates were prepared via a facile wet process. The WO 3 /ZIF‐8 heterogeneous materials were adopted as photocatalysts in the conversion from N 2 to nitrate under visible light irradiation. The results demonstrated that WO 3 /ZIF‐8 heterogeneous materials has NO 3− yield of ∼5.4 mg/g, which is ∼5 times higher than that of WO 3 nanoplates (∼1.1 mg/g). The improved photocatalytic performance of WO 3 /ZIF‐8 heterogeneous materials was attributed to the enhanced physical and chemical adsorption of N 2 molecules resulting from the porous structure of ZIF‐8. In addition, WO 3 /ZIF‐8 heterogeneous materials exhibited enhanced separation and transfer of photogenerated electron‐hole pairs due to the optimized interface between WO 3 and ZIF‐8, which finally contributed to the high performances in the photocatalytic N 2 fixation.