Anchoring Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots on Fe-Doped W 18 O 49 Nanowires for Efficient Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation.

Herein, we demonstrate that the surface anchoring of black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) and bulk iron-doping in W 18 O 49 nanowires significantly promotes the photocatalytic activity toward N 2 fixation into NH 3 . More specifically, a NH 3 production rate of up to 187.6 μmol g -1  h -1 could be achieved, nearly one order of magnitude higher than that of pristine W 18 O 49 (18.9 μmol g -1  h -1 ). Comprehensive experiments and density-functional theory calculations reveal that Fe-doping could enhance the reducing ability of photo-generated electrons by decreasing the work function and elevating the defect band (d-band) centers. Additionally, the surface BPQDs anchoring could facilitate the N 2 adsorption/activation owing to the increased adsorption energy and advantaged W-P dimer bonding-mode. Therefore, synergizing the surface BPQD anchoring and bulk Fe-doping remarkably enhanced the photocatalytic activity of W 18 O 49 nanowires for NH 3 production.