Photoelectron "bridge" in Van Der Waals Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic CO 2 Conversion Under Visible Light.

Constructing Van der Waals heterojunction is a crucial strategy to achieve excellent photocatalytic activity. However, in most Van der Walls heterojunctions synthesized by ex-situ assembly, electron transfer encounters huge hindrances at the interface between the two components due to the large spacing and potential barrier. Herein, a phosphate-bridged Van der Waals heterojunction of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc)/tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ) bridged by phosphate (xCoPc-nPO 4 - -WS 2 ) was designed and prepared by traditional wet chemistry method. By introducing a small phosphate molecule into the interface of CoPc and WS 2 , creates an electron "bridge", resulting in a compact combination and eliminating the space barrier. Therefore, the phosphate (PO 4 - ) bridge can serve as an efficient electron transfer channel in heterojunction can high efficiently transmit photoelectrons from WS 2 to CoPc under excited states. These excited photoelectrons are captured by the catalytic central Co 2+ in CoPc and subsequently convert CO 2 molecules into CO and CH 4 products, achieving 17-fold enhancement on the 3CoPc-0.6PO 4 - -WS 2 sample compared to that of pure WS 2 . Introducing a small molecule "bridge" to create an electron transfer channel provides a new perspective in designing efficient photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO 2 reduction into valuable products. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.