Carbon-doped SnS2 nanostructure as a high-efficiency solar fuel catalyst under visible light

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Shown, Indrajit, Samireddi, Satyanarayana, Chang, Yu-Chung, Putikam, Raghunath, Chang, Po-Han, Sabbah, Amr, Fu, Fang-Yu, Chen, Wei-Fu, Wu, Chih-I, Yu, Tsyr-Yan, Chung, Po-Wen, Lin, M. C., Chen, Li-Chyong, Chen, Kuei-Hsien
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 12.01.2018; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 119/118; 140/133; 140/146; 147/143; 639/301/299/890; 639/4077/909/4101/4102; 639/925/357; Bands; Carbon; Carbon dioxide; Catalytic activity; Charge efficiency; Crystal structure; Efficiency; Energy sources; Enzymes; Fossil fuels; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrocarbons; Light; Metals; Microstrain; multidisciplinary; Musical performances; Nanostructure; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Photochemicals; Photosynthesis; Quantum efficiency; Renewable energy; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Semiconductor doping; Solar energy; Tin disulfide
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02547-4

Photocatalytic formation of hydrocarbons using solar energy via artificial photosynthesis is a highly desirable renewable-energy source for replacing conventional fossil fuels. Using an l -cysteine-based hydrothermal process, here we synthesize a carbon-doped SnS 2 (SnS 2 -C) metal dichalcogenide nanostructure, which exhibits a highly active and selective photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 to hydrocarbons under visible-light. The interstitial carbon doping induced microstrain in the SnS 2 lattice, resulting in different photophysical properties as compared with undoped SnS 2 . This SnS 2 -C photocatalyst significantly enhances the CO 2 reduction activity under visible light, attaining a photochemical quantum efficiency of above 0.7%. The SnS 2 -C photocatalyst represents an important contribution towards high quantum efficiency artificial photosynthesis based on gas phase photocatalytic CO 2 reduction under visible light, where the in situ carbon-doped SnS 2 nanostructure improves the stability and the light harvesting and charge separation efficiency, and significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity. Photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to hydrocarbons is a promising route to both CO 2 utilization and renewable fuel production. Here the authors identify that carbon-doped SnS 2 possesses a high catalytic efficiency towards CO 2 reduction owing to low photogenerated charge recombination rates.