Fast synthesis of porous iron doped CeO2 with oxygen vacancy for effective CO2 photoreduction

The activity of photocatalytic CO2 conversion to carbon-containing products is determined by the adsorption and activation of CO2 molecules on the surface of catalyst. Here, iron doped porous CeO2 with oxygen vacancy (PFeCe) was prepared by one-step combustion method. The amount of CO2 adsorbed via using the porous structure has been significantly increased in the case of a relatively small specific surface area and CO2 molecules are more easily captured and undergo a reduction reaction with photoinduced carriers. In addition, oxygen vacancies are formed in the iron doped CeO2 lattice as the active sites for CO2 reduction, which can form strong interactions with CO2 molecules, thereby effectively activating CO2 molecules. The reduction products of CO2 over PFeCe composite are CO and CH4, which is approximately 9.0 and 7.7 folds than that of CeO2. This work offers insights for the construction of efficient ceria-based photocatalysts to further achieve robust solar CO2 conversion.