Cu/m-LaVO4 hollow composite microspheres for photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Abstract Design and fabrication of semiconductor-based photocatalysts with excellent activity and reusability to convert CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels using sunlight is very important because of the depletion of fossil resources and greenhouse effect. In this work, Cu-nanorods-modified-monoclinic LaVO4 (Cu/m-LaVO4) hollow microspheres were manufactured through a simple hydrothermal approach and employed as catalysts for CO2 photoreduction using simulated sunlight. It was demonstrated that the Cu nanorods with controllable number density and diameter can vertically grow on the surface of m-LaVO4 microspheres. The photocatalytic activity evaluation reveals that photocatalytic activity of Cu/m-LaVO4 is much higher than that of m-LaVO4, and a maximum CH4 yield of 4.6 μmol g−1 h−1 can be obtained over the 11.3 wt% Cu/m-LaVO4 composites. The superior photocatalytic activity of Cu/m-LaVO4 is mainly attributed to the synergistic effects, including the extended visible-light response, enhanced CO2 absorption ability, high surface area, and improved charge separation. This study may provide a new strategy to design efficient LaVO4-based photocatalysts for CO2 reduction.