Aqueous-Solution Route to Zinc Telluride Films for Application to CO2 Reduction

As a photocathode for CO2 reduction, zinc‐blende zinc telluride (ZnTe) was directly formed on a Zn/ZnO nanowire substrate by a simple dissolution–recrystallization mechanism without any surfactant. With the most negative conduction‐band edge among p‐type semiconductors, this new photocatalyst showed efficient and stable CO formation in photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction at −0.2–−0.7 V versus RHE without a sacrificial reagent. High performance without sacrifice: Zinc‐blende zinc telluride (ZnTe) was directly formed on a Zn/ZnO‐nanowire substrate by a simple dissolution–recrystallization mechanism without a surfactant. The ZnTe electrode was applied as a photocathode for CO2 reduction (see picture) and showed efficient and stable CO formation at −0.2–−0.7 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) without a sacrificial reagent.