Enhanced photocatalytic CO2-reduction activity to form CO and CH4 on S-scheme heterostructured ZnFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 photocatalyst

A novel ZnFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized by a facile solvothermal route. The incorporation of a narrow bandgap ZnFe2O4 photocatalyst can efficiently improve the range of light response and light absorption capacity of the Bi2MoO6 via the formation of a hybrid structure at the interface. The formed hybrid interface facilitates the separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers at ZnFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction significantly. The experimental results confirm that ZnFe2O4/Bi2MoO6-20% heterojunction showed the highest photocatalytic efficiency for CO2 reduction. Specifically, the total product yield of 47.1 μmol g-1 under 5 h simulated sunlight irradiation is measured in the counterparts of pure ZnFe2O4 (14.79 μmol g-1) and pure Bi2MoO6 (19.01 μmol g-1). Indeed, the formation of ZnFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction improved the photocatalytic efficiency for CO2 reduction.