A review on the recent development of bismuth-based catalysts for CO2 photoreduction

Chemical fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemicals is a feasible approach to reduce the global energy crisis and address the phenomenon of greenhouse effect. Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 as one of the most promising methods has been widely studied, in which a variety of photocatalysts have been designed and fabricated to improve the efficiency and selectivity of the photocatalytic CO2 reduction process. Interestingly, bismuth-based catalysts have been widely explored as functional materials, especially in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 due to their unique electronic composition and layered structures. The valence band of bismuth-based compounds is composed of hybrid orbitals, leading to a narrower band gap, which is more conducive for the migration of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. In addition, the special layered structure of bismuth-based photocatalysts is plate-like in shape, and the special structure is beneficial to increase the catalytic active sites. As a result, bismuth-based materials are regarded as very important visible light-driven catalysts. Therefore, the extensive researches and utilization of bismuth-based composites as phtotocatalysts have been widely conducted. In the present work, the research progress of bismuth-based catalysts in the reduction of CO2 is being reviewed. The structure, properties, and preparation methods of bismuth-based catalysts as well as the photocatalytic mechanism are discussed. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of bismuth-based photocatalysts are proposed.