Cu-doped SnS 2 nanosheets with superior visible-light photocatalytic CO 2 reduction performance.

Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction utilizing solar energy is a clean, environment-friendly strategy converting CO 2 into hydrocarbon fuels to solve the energy crisis and climate issues. Herein, we report the synthesis of Cu-doped SnS 2 nanosheets via a simple hydrothermal method. The prepared Cu-doped SnS 2 composite displays superior photocatalytic CO 2 reduction activity. The optimized CH 3 OH yield of the composite is two times higher than that of pure SnS 2 . The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to effective charge separation resulting from the thinner nanosheets and delocalization of electrons from SnS 2 to Cu, high visible light utilization efficiency, enlarged S BET , negative shift of the flat-band potential and reduced charge transfer resistance with the introduction of Cu atoms. This work suggests the potential application of Cu-doped SnS 2 in photocatalytic CO 2 reduction.