Ternary rGO/InVO4/Fe2O3 Z‑Scheme Heterostructured Photocatalyst for CO2 Reduction under Visible Light Irradiation

The present paper describes an excellent improvement in photoreduction of CO2 to methanol using a newly developed rGO/InVO4/Fe2O3 Z-scheme heterostructured photocatalyst, which was readily synthesized from chitosan-functionalized reduced graphene oxide and InVO4/Fe2O3 via a facile deposition–precipitation method. The maximum yield of methanol was reached at 16.9 mmol g–1cat over the Z-scheme photocatalyst by using TEA as a sacrificial electron donor. The obtained yield of methanol was very much higher in comparison to the rGO, InVO4, and InVO4/Fe2O3 semiconductors, i.e., 2.3, 1.1, and 9.8 mmol g–1cat, respectively, under identical experimental conditions. The synergistic effect of all components in the ternary rGO/InVO4/Fe2O3 Z-scheme heterostructure resulted in efficient charge carrier separation and charge mobility on a catalyst surface which led to highly efficient CO2 reduction and excellent improvement in methanol yield.