Direct Conversion of Rice Husks to Nanostructured SiC/C for CO2 Photoreduction

Abstract A one‐step and template‐free synthesis of a SiC nanowires/C (SiC‐NW/C) composite from rice husks (RHs) is realized via a molten‐salt‐assisted electrochemical method. The process integrates simultaneously carbonization, electrodeoxidation, nanostructuring, and self‐purification for converting RHs to a SiC‐NW/C hybrid that is assembled from SiC NWs embedded in porous N‐doped graphitic carbon with strong coupling. The SiC‐NW/C nanostructure enables efficient CO 2 adsorption and fast separation and transfer of charge carriers. Benefiting from the structural and compositional merits, the SiC‐NW/C composite shows superior activity for photoreduction of CO 2 to CO, in the absence of any additional cocatalysts or sacrificial agents. The process proposed herein might help to bridge a closed‐loop carbon cycle in the whole production–utilization of biomass.