Three‐Dimensional Bimetal‐Graphene‐Semiconductor Coaxial Nanowire Arrays to Harness Charge Flow for the Photochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

AbstractThe photochemical conversion of carbon dioxide provides a straightforward and effective strategy for the highly efficient production of solar fuels with high solar‐light utilization efficiency. However, the high recombination rate of photoexcited electron–hole (e‐h) pairs and the poor photostability have greatly limited their practical applications. Herein, a practical strategy is proposed to facilitate the separation of e‐h pairs and enhance the photostability in a semiconductor by the use of a Schottky junction in a bimetal‐graphene‐semiconductor stack array. Importantly, Au‐Cu nanoalloys (ca. 3 nm) supported on a 3D ultrathin graphene shell encapsulating a p‐type Cu2O coaxial nanowire array promotes the stable photochemical reduction of CO2 to methanol by the synergetic catalytic effect of interfacial modulation and charge‐transfer channel design. This work provides a promising lead for the development of practical catalysts for sustainable fuel synthesis.