Cation exchange strategy to construct Co-doped BiOBr nanosheets for high-efficient photocatalytic CO2 to CO.

In this work, Co-doped BiOBr prepared by cation-exchange strategy exhibits excellent photocatalytic performance under visible light in pure water. The Co-BiOBr-0.5 catalyst presents a better evolution rate of of CO 2 photoreduction to CO, reaching 11.71 μmol·g−1 h−1, which is 3.6 times higher than pure BiOBr. In addition, UV-Vis results show that the synthetized Co-doped BiOBr prepared by cation exchange strategy has wider visible light response. Meanwhile, TPR, EIS and PL results show that the cation exchange strategy can improve the electron-hole separation efficiency of BiOBr. This work might provide a simple method for preparing efficient photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction. [Display omitted] • Innovation in the use of cation-exchange strategy for the preparation of Co-BiOBr. • Cation-exchange strategy improves the light absorption and electron-hole separation efficiency of BiOBr. • The CO yield of Co-BiOBr-0.5 is as high as 11.71 μmolg−1h−1. • Cation exchange strategies offer new options for the preparation of high-performance catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]