Enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction by constructing an In2O3–CuO heterojunction with CuO as a cocatalyst

Abstract

Under the excitation of light on the photocatalyst, artificial photosynthesis can effectively realize the conversion of CO₂ into chemical raw materials or fuels. Here, the combination of In₂O₃ and CuO not only solves the shortcomings of low carrier separation efficiency and poor light absorption performance of a single catalyst but also improves the catalytic efficiency of the catalyst. The generation rate of CO is 7 times higher than that of bare In₂O₃. In particular, the photocatalyst can further convert CO₂ to methanol. In this work, a simple method was used to prepare In₂O₃–CuO, indicating the possibility of enhanced photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide by binary hybridization.