Direct Z-scheme FeV2O4/g-C3N4 binary catalyst for highly selective reduction of carbon dioxide

Spinel oxides have attracted much attention as an excellent light-absorbing material, but they exist fatal problems such as complicated synthesis method and poor carrier separation ability. Herein, a Z-scheme FeV2O4/g-C3N4 catalyst was designed and prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal ion-exchange method combined with post-treatment encapsulating process without any templates. The graphite phase carbon nitride encapsulated spinel to construct Z-scheme essence not only significantly lessens the recombination probability of photoexcited carriers, but also provides sufficient adsorptive and reactive sites for CO2 molecules. It also revealed that the resultant composite catalyst exhibited good photocatalytic activity and selectivity with positive inhibition of HER. In this regard, a profound insight is provided to construct high efficiency photocatalyst, which are expected to substitute precious metal catalysts and make progressive contributions for solving CO2 emissions.