Abstract
The photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce methanol (CH3OH) is a promising strategy for producing clean energy. The catalyst, the aqueous medium, and the UV light are key parameters for the formation of the most relevant pair (e−/h+) and the specific selectivity towards the desired product (methanol). The use of Ga2O3 and V2O5 in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to produce methanol has been little studied. However, the combination of these oxides is important to generate synergies and decrease the band energy, enhancing the photocatalytic activity in CO2 reduction. In this work, V2O5-Ga2O3 combined photocatalysts have been prepared and investigated for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2. These photocatalysts were characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The results showed that textural properties such as surface area and morphology do not influence the photocatalytic activity. However, species such as Ga2p3/2 and Ga2p1/2 identified by XPS enhanced the photocatalytic activity, most likely due to the formation of vacancies and the reduction of the bandgap in the combined oxides, as compared to single oxides. The contribution of these factors in pair interactions (e−/h+) with CO2 to generate methanol is demonstrated.
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The authors would like to thank the National Polytechnic Institute for funding through internal project SIP-20220593.
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Conceptualization: Ma Elena Manríquez. Methodology: Rodrigo Espinosa and Adrian Farid Bustos. Formal analysis and investigation: Rodrigo Espinosa, Ma Elena Manríquez, Martín Trejo-Valdez, Francisco Tzompantzi, Adrian Farid Bustos, and Emma Ortiz-Islas. Writing—original draft preparation: Emma Ortiz-Islas and Ma Elena Manríquez. Writing—review and editing: Emma Ortiz-Islas. Funding acquisition: Ma Elena Manríquez. Resources: Ma Elena Manríquez. Supervision: Emma Ortiz-Islas and Ma Elena Manríquez.
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Espinosa, R., Manríquez, M.E., Trejo-Valdez, M. et al. Synthesis and characterization of V2O5-Ga2O3 photocatalysts and their application on the photocatalytic reduction of CO2. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 54119–54129 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26155-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26155-6