Mo–Bi–Cd Ternary Metal Chalcogenides: Highly Efficient Photocatalyst for CO2 Reduction to Formic Acid Under Visible Light

The exploration of efficient and cheap photocatalysts for the transformation of CO2 into value-added chemicals is of great importance. Herein, we carried out the work on CO2 reduction using ternary metal chalcogenides as photocatalysts. It was found that the ternary metal chalcogenides of (Mo–Bi)Sx supported on mesoporous CdS ((Mo–Bi)Sx/Meso CdS) was very active and selective for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to HCOOH in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Bmim]BF4)–acetonitrile (MeCN) mixed solvent under visible light. HCOOH was the only carbonaceous product and H2 was the only byproduct. The rate of HCOOH formation could be as high as 208 μmol·g–1·h–1 with a 72% faradaic efficiency. The synergistic effect of the components played a key role for the outstanding performance of the catalyst; the catalyst and [Bmim]BF4 further cooperated in promoting the reaction.