Cu-doped SnS2 nanosheets with superior visible-light photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance.

Abstract

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction utilizing solar energy is a clean, environment-friendly strategy converting CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels to solve the energy crisis and climate issues. Herein, we report the synthesis of Cu-doped SnS2 nanosheets via a simple hydrothermal method. The prepared Cu-doped SnS2 composite displays superior photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity. The optimized CH3OH yield of the composite is two times higher than that of pure SnS2. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to effective charge separation resulting from the thinner nanosheets and delocalization of electrons from SnS2 to Cu, high visible light utilization efficiency, enlarged SBET, 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 SnS2 in photocatalytic CO2 reduction.