Doping carbon dots on etched CeO2-based bimetallic hydroxides for improved photocatalytic ammonia production

Photocatalytic ammonia synthesis with environmentally friendly process has received increasing attentions. Herein, carbon dots doped CeO2/Co-Zn bimetallic hydroxides with all-solid-state structure are assembled firstly, and an overall photocatalytic nitrogen fixation process is achieved. These types of photocatalysts show more excellent performances and higher reaction activities. The NH3 production rates can achieve about 548 and 985 µmol·gcal−1·h−1 under the visible-light and full-spectrum illumination, which is one of the best reported performances for the N2 photo-fixation. The improved photocatalytic performances are attributed to the enhancement of N2 adsorption active sites and photo-generated charge-hole separation efficiencies. This work provides a novel insight fabrication strategy to further develop the suitable ammonia synthesis photocatalysts under a mild condition.