Construction of UiO-66/Bi(4)O(5)Br(2) Type-II Heterojunction to Boost Charge Transfer for Promoting Photocatalytic CO(2) Reduction Performance

One of the basic challenges of CO(2) photoreduction is to develop efficient photocatalysts, and the construction of heterostructure photocatalysts with intimate interfaces is an effective strategy to enhance interfacial charge transfer for realizing high photocatalytic activity. Herein, a novel UiO-66/Bi(4)O(5)Br(2) heterostructure photocatalyst was constructed by depositing UiO-66 nanoparticles with octahedral morphology over the Bi(4)O(5)Br(2) nanoflowers assembled from the Bi(4)O(5)Br(2) nanosheets via an electrostatic self-assembly method. A tight contact interface and a built-in electric field were formed between the UiO-66 and the Bi(4)O(5)Br(2), which was conducive to the photo-electrons transfer from the Bi(4)O(5)Br(2) to the UiO-66 and the formation of a type-II heterojunction with highly efficient charge separation. As a result, the UiO-66/Bi(4)O(5)Br(2) exhibited improved photocatalytic CO(2) reduction performance with a CO generation rate of 8.35 μmol h(−1) g(−1) without using any sacrificial agents or noble co-catalysts. This work illustrates an applicable tactic to develop potent photocatalysts for clean energy conversion.