Solution Plasma Synthesis of B-Doped Graphene Derivatives with Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties

Abstract

At present, human beings are facing two major problems: energy crisis and environmental pollution. Massive anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) associated with increased consumption of fossil fuels have contributed to global warming and the energy crisis. The photocatalytic CO2 reduction (PCCR) to solar fuels such as methane, methanol and carbon monoxide is considered to be one of the best solutions to solve these problems. In recent years, with the invention of graphene and its derivatives, heterographene photocatalytic materials have become the focus of attention, especially for the development of photocatalysts and the application of photocatalysis. Heterographene and its derivatives can overcome the limitations of traditional photocatalysts, due to their excellent physicochemical and electrical properties like high specific surface area, stability, corrosion resistance, photosensitivity, and electrical conductivity. Therefore, heterographene-based photocatalysts could be a viable strategy to break new grounds in the area of PCCR to useful chemicals/fuels, i.e. converting sunlight to fuels. The current methods for the synthesis of heterographene are complex or harsh conditions, so it is urgent to develop new methods for the synthesis of doped graphene. In this study, the B-doped graphene derivatives were synthesized for PCCR by solution plasma (SP), which can provide us a rapid synthesis at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.AcknowledgementsThis work was financially supported by JST-OPERA (JPMJOP1843), JST-SICORP (JPMJSC18H1) and JSPS-KAKENHI (JP18K18998).