Excited Electron Transfer Research Articles

Theoretical model of donor–donor and donor–acceptor energy transfer on a nanosphere

In this study, we introduce a novel advancement in the field of theoretical exploration. Specifically, we investigate the transfer and trapping of electronic excitations within a two-component disordered system confined to a finite volume. The implications of our research extend to energy transfer phenomena on spherical nanoparticles, characterized by randomly distributed donors and acceptors on their surface. Utilizing the three-body Padé approximant technique, previously employed in single-component systems, we apply it to address the challenge of trapping within our system. To validate the robustness of our model, we conduct Monte Carlo simulations on a donor–acceptor system positioned on a spherical nanoparticle. In particular, very good agreement between the model and Monte Carlo simulations has been found for donor fluorescence intensity decay.

The energy transfer of electronic excitations to impurities in dosimetric phosphors [formula omitted]-Dy

The formation of new radiative states from the combination of Dy2+-SO4- and SO43--SO4- electron trapping centers in the range of 2.95–3.1 eV has been investigated using VUV and thermal activation spectroscopy. During the excitation process, there is a charge transfer between the oxygen ion of the sulfate anion and Dy3+ leading to the formation of a combined emissive state SO43-→SO4-. These states can be formed from the electron-hole trapping centers of Dy2+-SO4- and SO43--SO4-. The combined radiative state at 2.95–3.1 eV and impurity emission at 2.16 eV and 2.56 eV are excited simultaneously by photons of 3.95 eV and 4.5 eV, respectively. During the thermal or optical excitation process, the Dy2+ and SO43- electronic centers are ionized. Electrons recombine with a hole trapped by the ground state of the impurity (SO4--Dy3+), and the released energy is transferred to the Dy3+ impurities.

Oxygen-bridged Schottky junction in ZnO–Ni3ZnC0.7 promotes photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO: Steering charge flow and modulating electron density of active sites

Developing carbon dioxide (CO2) photocatalysts from transition metal carbides (TMCs) with abundant active sites, modulable electron cloud density, as well as low cost and high stability is of great significance for artificial photosynthesis. Building an efficient electron transfer channel between the photo-excitation site and the reaction-active site to extract and steer photo-induced electron flow is necessary but challenging for the highly selective conversion of CO2. In this study, we achieved an oxygen-bridged Schottky junction between ZnO and Ni3ZnC0.7 (denoted as Znoxide–O–ZnTMC) through a ligand-vacancy strategy of MOF. The ZnO–Ni3ZnC0.7 heterostructure integrates the photo-exciter (ZnO), high-speed electron transport channel (Znoxide–O–ZnTMC), and reaction-active species (Ni3ZnC0.7), where Znoxide–O–ZnTMC facilitates the transfer of excited electrons in ZnO to Ni3ZnC0.7. The Zn atoms in Ni3ZnC0.7 serve as electron-rich active sites, regulating the CO2 adsorption energy, promoting the transformation of *COOH to CO, and inhibiting H2 production. The ZnO–Ni3ZnC0.7 shows a high CO yield of 2674.80 μmol g–1h–1 with a selectivity of 93.40 % and an apparent quantum yield of 18.30 % (λ = 420 nm) with triethanolamine as a sacrificial agent. The CO production rate remains at 96.40 % after 18 h. Notably, ZnO–Ni3ZnC0.7 exhibits a high CO yield of 873.60 μmol g–1h–1 with a selectivity of 90.20 % in seawater.

2D Porphyrin-Based Covalent-Organic Framework/PEG Composites: A Rational Strategy for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Two-dimensional porphyrin-based covalent-organic frameworks (2D-por-COFs) have gained significant attention as attractive platforms for efficient solar light conversion into hydrogen production. Herein, it is found that introducing transition metal zinc and polyethylene glycol (PEG) into 2D-por-COFs can effectively improve the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of ZnPor-COF is 2.82 times higher than that of H2Por-COF. Moreover, ZnPor-COF@PEG has the highest photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency, which is 1.31 and 3.7 times that of pristine ZnPor-COF and H2Por-COF, respectively. The filling of PEG makes the layered structure of COFs more stable. PEG reduces the distortion and deformation of the carbon skeleton after the experiment of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The layered stacking and crystallization of 2D-por-COFs are also enhanced. Meanwhile, the presence of PEG also accelerates the transfer of excited electrons and enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity. This strategy will provide valuable insights into the design of 2D-por-COFs as efficient solid photocatalysts for solar-driven hydrogen production.

Photoluminescence Study of Undoped and Eu-Doped Alkali-Niobate Aluminosilicate Glasses and Glass-Ceramics.

In this study, the photoluminescence (PL) behavior of two aluminosilicate glass series containing alkali-niobates ranging from 0.4 to 20 mol% was investigated. The glasses exhibit an intense visible emission centered at ~18,400 cm-1 for the peralkaline series and at higher energies (~19,300 cm-1) for the metaluminous glasses. However, the photoluminescence emission intensity varies significantly with the niobate content and the bulk chemistry. PL and fluorescence lifetime measurements indicate that the broad emission bands result from the overlap of different niobate populations, whose distribution changes with niobate content. The distinct PL behavior in the two glass series was related to the structural evolution of the niobate units upon niobium addition. An enhancement of the visible emission was observed for a higher fraction of distorted [NbO6] units. Eu-doping was carried out as a structural probe of the glass network, and also to determine if these glasses could be used as potential rare earth element (REE) activators. The crystal field strength around Eu ions is strongly dependent on the bulk chemistry and the niobate content. Furthermore, the peralkaline series showed energy transfer from the host [NbO6] to Eu3+, confirming the feasibility of exploring niobate glasses and glass-ceramics as lanthanide ion-activated luminescent materials. In addition, glass-ceramics (GCs) containing alkali-niobate phases with a perovskite-like structure were developed and studied to verify the optical performance of these materials. It was verified that the bulk chemistry influences crystallization behavior, and also the photoluminescence response. The transparent GC from the metaluminous series exhibits a quenching of the Eu3+ emission, whereas an enhanced emission intensity is observed for the peralkaline GC. The latter shows a strong excitation-dependent PL emission, suggesting energy transfer and migration of electronic excitation from one Eu population to another. Additionally, Eu3+ emissions arising from the D15 and D25 excited states were observed, highlighting the low phonon energy achievable in niobo-aluminosilicate hosts.

Copper Phenylacetylide and TiO2 Modification for an Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Oxidative Coupling of Amines.

The selective oxidation of amines to imines under mild conditions has attracted much attention. Our study reveals that copper phenylacetylide (PhC2Cu) could serve as an efficient photocatalyst for imine synthesis under visible-light irradiation (>400 nm). Utilizing benzylamine as a model reactant, PhC2Cu achieves an imine yield of 50.4%, which is 5 times higher than that of P25 under the same conditions and comparable to the yield obtained by the 3 wt % Au/P25 photocatalyst (55.4%). Further loading 3.9 nm TiO2 onto PhC2Cu through tetrabutyl titanate hydrolysis increases the imine yield to 84.7%, with a Ti:Cu atomic ratio of 3.65%. Control experiments, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, optical pump terahertz probe (OPTP) spectra, and electron spin resonance (ESR) tests confirm that the optimized TiO2 modification promotes the separation of excited carriers and electron transfer in PhC2Cu and facilitates the activation of surface oxygen, thereby enhancing the formation of superoxide radicals, a key active oxygen species in the reaction system. This work presents a promising strategy for efficient imine synthesis via amine coupling and expands the application field of PhC2Cu-based photocatalysts.

Boosting tribo-catalytic degradation of organic pollutants by BaTiO3 nanoparticles through metallic coatings

Recently, tribo-catalysis has emerged as an appealing technology to harvest mechanical energy for environmental remediation. While most investigations have focused on catalyst optimization to enhance tribo-catalytic degradation, here we studied the effects of some metal disks placed on beaker bottoms (named coatings) on the tribo-catalytic degradation by BaTiO3 (BTO) nanoparticles under magnetic stirring. For 20 mg/L Rhodamine B (RhB) solution, Cr, Cu, and Ti coatings improved the kinetic constants of BTO nanoparticles by 3.1, 3.4, 5.2 folds, respectively. Ti coating was further found to result in 99 % degradation in just 3 h for 50 mg/L RhB solution, and elevate the kinetic constants by 19.1 and 16.6 folds for 20 mg/L methyl orange (MO) and 20 mg/L methylene blue (MB) solutions, respectively. EPR, FL and UV–vis spectroscopy verified that modifying vessel bottom with Ti coating enabled BTO nanoparticles to generate more active species. First-principles calculations of the work functions of Cr, Cu, and Ti surfaces, and the energy-band structure of BTO revealed a decreased electron-hole recombination rate due to the transfer of excited electrons to metallic coatings. These results suggest that modifying vessel bottoms with suitable metallic coatings is a simple, eco-friendly and efficient strategy to boost tribo-catalysis for environmental remediation.

Tunability in 3-Site Electronic Excitation Transfer Dynamics: Insights into the Role of Perturbative Coupling.

Electronic excitation transfer dynamics in photosynthetic systems, including the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex, are often modeled using the interaction picture of three two-level systems, also known as the 3-site system. Among the two possible configurations, uphill and downhill, a recent publication reported an intriguing correlation between population dynamics and the intersite coupling. Specifically, the uphill configuration has been shown to have a pronounced dependence on perturbations in the intersite coupling, whereas the downhill configuration displays negligible dependence. In this study, we consider a generic 3-site configuration and model site interactions through the Markovian master equation. Through this approach, we derive succinct analytical expressions for the population dynamics between the sites, shedding light on the differences in behavior between the two configurations. Using these analytical expressions, we demonstrate the range of tunability in population dynamics achievable with minimal changes in intersite coupling, and we validate these findings through simulation results. These insights into the population dynamics of a 3-site system are expected to play a crucial role in facilitating the design of efficient energy-transfer pathways in molecular systems.

Direct solar energy conversion on zinc–air battery

A concept of solar energy convertible zinc-air battery (SZAB) is demonstrated through rational design of an electrode coupled with multifunction. The multifunctional electrode is fabricated using nitrogen-substituted graphdiyne (N-GDY) with large π-conjugated carbonous network, which can work as photoresponsive bifunctional electrocatalyst, enabling a sunlight-promoted process through efficient injection of photoelectrons into the conduction band of N-GDY. SZAB enables direct conversion and storage of solar energy during the charging process. Such a battery exhibits a lowered charge voltage under illumination, corresponding to a high energy efficiency of 90.4% and electric energy saving of 30.3%. The battery can display a power conversion efficiency as high as 1.02%. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the photopromoted oxygen evolution reaction kinetics originates from the transition from the alkyne bonds to double bonds caused by the transfer of excited electrons, which changes the position of highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, thus greatly promoting the formation of intermediates to the conversion process. Our findings provide conceptual and experimental confirmation that batteries are charged directly from solar energy without the external solar cells, providing a way to manufacture future energy devices.

Customizing the luminescent properties of compositionally disordered ceramics (Gd, Y, Yb, Tb, Ce)3Al2Ga3O12: From an ultra-fast scintillator to bright, wide-spectrum phosphor

A series of (Gd, Y, Yb, Tb, Ce)3Al2Ga3O12 compositionally disordered compounds with a garnet structure were prepared in the form of ceramics by sintering in oxygen at 1650 °C for 2 h and studied for the luminescent properties and interaction of ions entering the matrix host. The luminescence features of Ce3+ ions were found to be strongly dependent on the Yb concentration. Photoluminescence and scintillation kinetics are characterized by subnanosecond kinetics when the Yb index in the compound exceeds X = 0.3. It opens an opportunity to create an extremely fast and dense scintillation material emitting in a visible range. A further decrease in the Yb index in the compound leads to an increase in the intensity of Yb3+ infrared (IR) emission, whereas Ce3+ and Tb3+ ions contribute to the luminosity of the material by overlapping intra- and intereconfiguration luminescence bands in the spectral range of 300–700 nm. This finding opens an opportunity to create converter materials tolerant to the corpuscular radiation of isotope sources, providing a high efficiency of electric current production when coupled with a silicon photovoltaic element. The compounds were engineered at the nanoscale level, providing control over electronic excitation transfer between luminescent ions.

From groove to hillocks – Atomic-scale simulations of swift heavy ion grazing impacts on CaF2

Surface nanopatterning of CaF2 by swift heavy ions irradiation under oblique angles is studied with a combination of the event-by-event Monte Carlo particle transport model and molecular dynamics simulations. The model describes the electronic system excitation and energy transfer to the lattice followed by the atomic response. The approach allowed us to simulate the kinetics of the electronic ensemble excited by a grazing ion demonstrating that the presence of the surface does not reduce the energy of the lattice as expected. On the contrary, the track core temperature near the surface is slightly higher than in the bulk, because electrons reflected from the surface bring a part of the energy back to the core.The formation kinetics of entire grazing ion tracks is studied revealing the mechanisms of various surface nanostructures formation. Depending on the penetration depth, the ion produces a groove bordered by hillocks, a single chain of nanohillocks, a huge hillock at the end of the rift, and a single continuous structure afterward. The critical depth of the material expulsion from the surface equals approximately to the transient molten zone radius (∼4–4.5 nm). The simulated structures are in reasonable agreement with the available experimental data.

AgInS2-Embedded Photocatalytic Membrane: Insights into the Excited State and Electron Transfer Dynamics.

Photocatalytic reactions at semiconductor nanocrystal surfaces are useful for synthesizing value-added chemicals using sunlight. Semiconductor nanocrystals dispersed in a rigid framework, such as polymer film, can mitigate issues such as aggregation, product separation, and other challenges that are usually encountered in suspensions or slurries. Using a cation exchange technique, we successfully embedded AgInS2 nanoparticles into a Nafion matrix, termed AgInS2-Nafion. This was achieved through a galvanic exchange between In and Ag in In2S3 present within the Nafion film, enabling an adjustable Ag:In ratio for optimized photophysical properties. As in the case of colloidal suspension, the AgInS2 particles embedded in Nafion exhibit a long absorption tail, a broad emission band with a large Stokes shift, and emission lifetimes extending into the microseconds that are characteristic of donor-acceptor pairs, DAP. Remediation of surface states with the treatment of 3-mercaptopropionic acid resulted in significant enhancement in the emission yield. Charge carrier generation through bandgap excitation as well as activation of DAP states which reside within the bandgap is probed through transient absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of AgInS2-Nafion was probed by using thionine as an electron acceptor. The electron transfer rate constant from excited AgInS2 to thionine as observed from transient absorption spectroscopy was determined to be ∼6.3 × 1010 s-1. The design of a photoactive membrane offers new ways to carry out photocatalytic processes with greater selectivity.

ZnO/CuSe composite-mediated bandgap modulation for enhanced photocatalytic performance against methyl blue dye

The removal of toxic dye pigments from the environment is of utmost importance since even trace amounts of these pollutants can lead to harmful impacts on ecosystems. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a potential technique for eliminating microbiological, inorganic, and organic pollutants from wastewater. Here, we report the band gap alteration of ZnO by making its composites with CuSe to enhance photocatalytic activity. The purpose is to develop metal oxide nanocomposites (ZnO/CuSe) as an effective and efficient material for the photodegradation of methyl blue. The photocatalysts, ZnO nanorods, CuSe, and ZnO/CuSe nanocomposites of different weight ratios were synthesized by the simple and cost-effective technique of precipitation. UV–Vis spectra verified that the ZnO/CuSe photocatalyst improved absorption in the visible region. The optical bandgap of ZnO/CuSe nanocomposites reduced from 3.37 to 2.68 eV when CuSe concentration increased from 10 to 50%. ZnO/CuSe composites demonstrated better photocatalytic activity than ZnO when exposed to UV–visible light. The pure ZnO nanorods could absorb UV light and the nanocomposites could absorb visible light only; this was attributed to the transfer of excited high-energy electrons from ZnO to CuSe.

Degradation of Paracetamol in Distilled and Drinking Water via Ag/ZnO Photocatalysis under UV and Natural Sunlight

The present study demonstrates the synthesis and application of Ag/ZnO powder films (thickness of 4 μm) as photocatalysts for natural sunlight and ultraviolet (UV, 315–400 nm) irradiation. The synthesis procedure is simple and eco-friendly, based on the photo-fixation of silver ions onto commercial ZnO powder via UV illumination for the first time. The photocatalytic efficiency of the newly developed films is evaluated through degradation of paracetamol in distilled and drinking water. Our experimental evidences show that the Ag/ZnO nanostructure films are more active than pristine ZnO films in the photodegradation process. Namely, the photocatalytic efficiency of the films modified with 10−2 M concentration of silver ions achieve the highest degradation (D) percentages for paracetamol in both types of water (Ddistilled = 80.97%, Ddrinking = 82.5%) under natural sunlight. Under UV exposure, the degradation percentages are slightly lower but still higher than those achieved by pure ZnO films (Ddistilled = 53.13%, Ddrinking = 61.87%). It is found that the photocatalytic activity grows in direct proportion to the concentration of Ag+ ions: ZnO < Ag 10−4/ZnO < Ag 10−3/ZnO < Ag 10−2/ZnO. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence spectroscopy are used to characterize the as-prepared ZnO and Ag/ZnO nanostructures. The improved photocatalytic performance of the Ag/ZnO films is mostly attributed to the combination of excited electron transfer from ZnO to Ag and the inhibition of photogenerated electron–hole pair recombination. Furthermore, Ag/ZnO nanostructure films can retain their photocatalytic activity after three cycles of use, highlighting their potential practical application for the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater in real-world scenarios where natural sunlight is often more readily available than artificial UV light.

Cross-sensitization of Ce3+ and Tb3+ luminescence in (Gd, Y)3Al2Ga3O12 scintillation ceramics

Crystalline ceramic material (Gd,Y)3Al2Ga3O12 codoped with Ce and Tb (GYAGG: Ce, Tb) was demonstrated to be a high light yield scintillator. The luminescence kinetics was proven to be formed by the combining of the direct Tb3+→Ce3+ and inverse Ce3+→Tb3+ transfer of electronic excitations. This forms a mechanism leading to the increase of the slow component fraction in the scintillation and limits the application of the material, when a fast response is required. However, a high light yield opens an opportunity to utilize the developed material for application in the detectors operating in a current measurement mode and, in long living, as high-flux sources of optical photons under the ionizing radiation of a different type.

CO2 photoreduction using TiO2 nanoflower /UiO-66 composite under UV light irradiation

In the present study, new photocatalysts of TiO2 nanoflower (TNF) with UiO-66 composites (denoted as TNF@ xU) were synthesized and investigated for CO2 photoreduction process. The as-synthesized composites were characterized through XRD, TEM, BET, FTIR, EDS, FE-SEM, PL, EIS, photocurrent response and UV–Vis DRS techniques. It was found that the TNF@ 25%U has the highest activity towards fuel production. The excellent photocatalytic activity of TNF@ xU may be related to its high tendency to adsorb CO2 and improving the separation of electrons and holes due to the strong binding between TNF and UiO-66. In addition, the petal-like structure of TNF creates an additional path for transfer of excited electrons to the surface. The effects of different parameters such as partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2), temperature, partial pressure of H2O (PH2O) and light power for CH4 and CH3OH production were evaluated using response surface methodology (RSM). Examining the effects of temperature and lamp power on the CO2 photoreduction showed that the production of CH4 and CH3OH increased with increasing temperature and lamp power. Also, the production of CH4 and CH3OH increased and then decreased with the increase of the PH2O and PCO2. Moreover, results showed that under optimum conditions (338.15 K, 150 W, PCO2 =70 kPa and PH2O =9 kPa), the maximum CH4 and CH3OH production rate were 41.81 and 1.58 µmol gcat-1 h -1, respectively. Finally, electron-hole transfer mechanism of type I heterojunction was proposed for TNF@ 25%U composite.

Visualization of the elevated levels of hypochlorous acid in Alzheimer's disease with a ruthenium(II) complex-based luminescence probe

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder that devastatingly affects people's lives. Accumulating evidence indicates that the pathological progression of AD is inseparably connected with hypochlorous acid (HClO). However, further exploring the biological function remains an open challenging due to a lack of effective tools to image HClO in AD brains. To this end, a ruthenium(II) luminescence probe, Ru–HClO, is developed for quantitative detection and visualization of HClO in nerve cells and AD brains. Ru–HClO shows quenched luminescence due to the PET process (excited electron transfer from Ru(II) center to diaminomaleonitrile) and the CN bond isomerization in the excited state. The HClO-triggered specific cleavage reaction with Ru–HClO cleaves the CN bond to form highly luminescent Ru–COOH. Ru–HClO shows rapid response speed, high sensitivity and selectivity, excellent biocompatibility, which makes the probe to be applied to semi-quantitative analysis of HClO in nerve cells and high-throughput screening of anti-AD drugs in the AD cell model. Moreover, using Ru–HClO as a probe, present work further validated that the elevated levels of HClO secretion were accompanied by the AD progressed. These findings may provide valuable results for figuring out the biological roles that HClO played in AD but also for accelerating anti-AD therapeutic discovery.

Mapping the Ultrafast Mechanistic Pathways of Co Photocatalysts in Pure Water through Time-resolved X-ray Spectroscopy.

Nanosecond time-resolved X-ray (tr-XAS) and optical transient absorption spectroscopy (OTA) are applied to study 3 multimolecular photocatalytic systems with [Ru(bpy)3]2+photoabsorber, ascorbic acid electron donor and Co catalysts with methylene (1), hydroxomethylene (2) and methyl (3) amine substituents in pure water. OTA and tr-XAS of 1 and 2 show that the favored catalytic pathway involves reductive quenching of the excited photosensitizer and electron transfer to the catalyst to form a CoII square pyramidal intermediate with a bonded aqua molecule followed by a CoI square planar derivative that decays within ~8 µs. By contrast, a CoI square pyramidal intermediate with a longer decay lifetime of ~35µs is formed from an analogous CoII geometry for 3 in H2O. These results highlight the protonation of CoI to form the elusive hydride species to be the rate limiting step and show that the catalytic rate can be enhanced through hydrogen containing pendant amines that act as H-H bond formation proton relays.

Specific Features of Formation of Electron and Hole Trapping Centers in Irradiated CaSO4-Mn and BaSO4-Mn

Spectroscopic and thermoactivation methods were used to study the processes of accumulation of electron and hole trapping centers and energy transfer of electronic excitations to impurities in CaSO4-Mn and BaSO4-Mn. It is shown that electronic trapping centers are created during the excitation of an anionic complex as a result of charge transfer from O2−→SO42− to closely spaced anionic complexes SO42− in CaSO4 and BaSO4. In CaSO4 and BaSO4, energy transfer from the host to impurities occurs at the moment of charge transfer from the excited anionic complex to the combined radiative electronic state at 2.95–3.1 eV. This combined state is formed from electronic trapping centers Mn+-SO4− and SO43−-SO4−. It was found that the emerging combined radiative states at 2.95–3.1 eV of sulfates, which are formed as a result of charge transfer from the excited anionic complexes to the excited state of impurities, Tl+,Cu+,and Mn2+, occupy the same energy levels as the intrinsic electronic trapping center SO43− of the host at 2.95–3.17 eV. Experimental results show that during UV photon irradiation, anionic complexes are excited mainly near impurities in sulfates.

In-situ construction of Schottky junctions with synergistic interaction of oxygen vacancies in Mo@MoO3 nanosheets for efficient N2 photoreduction

Defect engineering is a promising technique that can activate nitrogen by injecting electrons into the anti-bonding molecular orbital of nitrogen through anion vacancies. Moreover, compared to a single component, Schottky junctions can effectively overcome rapid electron recombination, thereby significantly enhancing photoelectron utilization efficiency. In this work, we prepared Mo modified MoO3 nanosheets with abundant oxygen vacancies by a solvothermal method and investigated the effect of synergistic interactions between Schottky junctions and oxygen vacancies on the photocatalytic performance of N2 reduction reaction (NRR). The photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance of Mo@MoO3 nanosheets (MoO3-6) reached 50.78 μmol·g−1·h−1 without any scavenger, which was about 3 times that of commercial MoO3. The Schottky barrier creates a built-in electric field generating charge transfer channels during the photocatalytic reaction, while the oxygen vacancies trap electrons to activate N2, and together with Mo, broaden the light absorption range of the catalyst, facilitating more efficient transfer of excited electrons to the active site. The synergetic advantages of Schottky junctions and oxygen vacancies are exploited in advancing the photocatalytic effect, providing new opportunities and challenges for the development of metal oxide-based materials.