CoFe alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in a 3D honeycomb-like N-doped graphitic carbon framework for photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Abstract

CoFe alloy nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated in a three-dimensional (3D) honeycomb-like porous N-doped graphitic carbon (CoFe/N-GC) framework were fabricated by a facile polymer thermal treatment method. Under UV-visible light irradiation, the maximum yields of the CoFe/N-GC-800 catalyst are 10.87 μmol (h g)⁻¹ and 10.04 μmol (h g)⁻¹ for CH₄ and CO, respectively. Moreover, the CoFe/N-GC catalyst has an excellent stability for 42 h, benefitting from the synergistic advantages of CoFe alloy NPs and the 3D honeycomb porous N-GC structure. This work has demonstrated a facile method for fabricating high-performance alloy NPs and 3D honeycomb-structured porous N-GC photocatalytic composites, and this method can be employed to fabricate novel CO₂RR photocatalysts.