BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE NANOSHEETS MODIFIED WITH Au-Cu NANOPARTICLES FOR EFFICIENT PHOTOREDUCTION OF CO2 TO ETHANE

BiOCl nanosheets modified with AuCu nanoparticles were successfully designed and fabricated for water reduction of CO2. The AuxCuy/BiOCl composites exhibited enhanced visible light absorption ability due to a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. The AuxCuy/BiOCl composites could convert carbon dioxide to ethane (C2H6), while only CO was obtained over pure BiOCl nanosheets. In this study, the rate of C2H6 production (12.2 mu mol h-1 g-1) and selectivity of C2H6 (75.7%) were obtained over the Au1Cu1/BiOCl photocatalyst under simulated sunlight illumination. The AuCu nanoparticles played the dual role of electron traps and hot electron donors, facilitating efficient separation and migration of the carriers. The photocatalyst exhibited steady photocatalytic activity over the test duration of 9 h.