Electrostatic Charge Transfer for Boosting the Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction on Metal Centers of 2D MOF/rGO Heterostructure

•Composite thin films comprising 2D/2D MOF/rGO heterostructures for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.•Modulated electronic structure of metal centers unveiled by XPS and XANES.•The activity and selectivity are among the best reported in literature.•The thin-film catalysts are highly stable and extremely easy to recycle.•High activity is well rationalized by the heterostructure configuration and electrostatic charge transfer.