CuO/CeO2 Nanocomposites With p–n Heterojunction for Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction to CH4

Abstract CH 4 is a significant fuel with considerable industrial value. Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction presents an effective strategy for producing CH 4 , offering a green, environmentally friendly, and sustainable solution. However, challenges such as inefficient light absorption and inadequate separation and transport of photogenerated electron‐hole pairs are crucial barriers to its progress. Herein, an efficient CuO/CeO 2 photocatalyst with p‐n heterojunction was prepared for the photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to CH 4 . CuO/CeO 2 exhibited improved light absorption efficiency, along with enhanced separation and transport of photogenerated charges, leading to superior photocatalytic performance compared with individual CuO and CeO 2 . Only CO was detected on CuO or CeO 2 . In contrast, CuO/CeO 2 produced CH 4 and C 2 H 4 at yields of 80.2 µmol·g −1 and 2.1 µmol·g −1 within 4 h, respectively. And the selectivity for CH 4 reached up to 97.4%.