Photocatalytic Reduction of CO 2 on a Bi 2 Mo x W 1- x O 6 Solid Solution with Enhanced Activity.

This paper reports on a Bi 2 Mo x W 1- x O 6 solid solution with excellent photocatalytic activity in CO 2 reduction. Under simulated sunlight, the Bi 2 Mo 0.25 W 0.75 O 6 solid solution achieved a CO generation yield of ≤298.2 μmol g -1 over 3 h, which was 2.1 and 1.5 times larger than those of pristine Bi 2 WO 6 and Bi 2 MoO 6 , respectively. Via an in-depth study of the mechanism, this excellent photocatalytic activity was determinied to be probably due to two major contributions: (1) the formation of oxygen vacancies on the Bi 2 Mo 0.25 W 0.75 O 6 solid solution, which provided more reactive sites for adsorption and activation of CO 2 , and (2) modulation of the electronic band structure, which facilitated charge separation. Mechanistic and reaction pathways have been deeply explored and proposed.