Structure and Defect Engineering Synergistically Boost High Solar‐to‐Chemical Conversion Efficiency of Cerium oxide/Au Hollow Nanomushrooms for Nitrogen Photofixation

Abstract

AbstractPhotocatalytic nitrogen fixation using solar illumination under ambient conditions is a promising strategy for production of the indispensable chemical NH3. However, due to the catalyst‘s limitations in solar energy utilization, loss of hot electrons during transfer, and low nitrogen adsorption and activation capacity, the unsatisfactory solar‐to‐chemical conversion (SCC) efficiencies of most photocatalysts limit their practical applications. Herein, cerium oxide nanosheets with abundant strain‐VO defects were anchored on Au hollow nanomushroom through atomically sharp interfaces to construct a novel semiconductor/plasmonic metal hollow nanomushroom‐like heterostructure (denoted cerium oxide‐AD/Au). Plasmonic Au extended the absorption of light from the visible to the second near‐infrared region. The superior interface greatly enhanced the transfer efficiency of hot electrons. Abundant strain‐VO defects induced by interfacial compressive strain promoted adsorption and in situ activation of nitrogen, and such synergistic promotion of strain and VO defects was further confirmed by density functional theory calculations. The judicious structural and defect engineering co‐promoted the efficient nitrogen photofixation of the cerium oxide‐AD/Au heterostructures with a SCC efficiency of 0.1 % under simulated AM 1.5G solar illumination, which is comparable to the average solar‐to‐biomass conversion efficiency of natural photosynthesis by typical plants, thus exhibiting significant potential as a new candidate for artificial photosynthesis.