Bi2S3 nanorods obtained from the topotactic transformation of single-crystalline Bi2O2S achieving enhanced visible light-driven CO2 conversion

Here, we report a Bi2S3 nanorod obtained from the topotactic transformation of single-crystalline Bi2O2S and demonstrate its successful performance of enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The prepared Bi2S3 nanorods exhibit the enlarged band gap with a more negative conduction band position while its single-crystalline characteristic remains unchanged. The accelerated transformation and separation of photogenerated carrier and enhanced adsorption and activation of CO2 on Bi2S3 nanorods is clearly different from that of bulk-Bi2S3. As a result, the production of photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CH4 on Bi2S3 nanorods is 59.9 μmol g-1h−1 under visible light irradiation and a simulated air atmosphere, which is 2.2 times higher than that of bulk-Bi2S3 and remains persistent activity during the repetition experiments. This discovery is believed to pave further exploration for designing unconventional nanostructures and promoting their widely distributed environmental application.