Isolated single atom cobalt in Bi(3)O(4)Br atomic layers to trigger efficient CO(2) photoreduction

The design of efficient and stable photocatalysts for robust CO(2) reduction without sacrifice reagent or extra photosensitizer is still challenging. Herein, a single-atom catalyst of isolated single atom cobalt incorporated into Bi(3)O(4)Br atomic layers is successfully prepared. The cobalt single atoms in the Bi(3)O(4)Br favors the charge transition, carrier separation, CO(2) adsorption and activation. It can lower the CO(2) activation energy barrier through stabilizing the COOH* intermediates and tune the rate-limiting step from the formation of adsorbed intermediate COOH* to be CO* desorption. Taking advantage of cobalt single atoms and two-dimensional ultrathin Bi(3)O(4)Br atomic layers, the optimized catalyst can perform light-driven CO(2) reduction with a selective CO formation rate of 107.1 µmol g(−1) h(−1), roughly 4 and 32 times higher than that of atomic layer Bi(3)O(4)Br and bulk Bi(3)O(4)Br, respectively.