Adjusting the Reduction Potential of Electrons by Quantum Confinement for Selective Photoreduction of CO2 to Methanol

Abstract

The production of CH₃OH from the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (PCRR) presents a promising route for the clean utilization of renewable resources, but charge recombination, an unsatisfying stability and a poor selectivity limit its practical application. In this paper, we present the design and fabrication of 0D/2D materials with polymeric C₃N₄ nanosheets and CdSe quantum dots (QDs) to enhance the separation and reduce the diffusion length of charge carriers. The rapid outflow of carriers also restrains self-corrosion and consequently enhances the stability. Furthermore, based on quantum confinement effects of the QDs, the energy of the electrons could be adjusted to a level that inhibits the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, the main competitive reaction to PCRR) and improves the selectivity and activity for CH₃OH production from the PCRR. The band structures of photocatalysts with various CdSe particle sizes were also investigated quantitatively to establish the relationship between the band energy and the photocatalytic performance.