BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE NANOSHEETS MODIFIED WITH AU-CU NANOPARTICLES FOR EFFICIENT PHOTOREDUCTION OF CO₂ TO ETHANE

BiOCl nanosheets modified with AuCu nanoparticles were successfully designed and fabricated for water reduction of CO₂. The Au_xCu_y/BiOCl composites exhibited enhanced visible light absorption ability due to a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. The Au_xCu_y/BiOCl composites could convert carbon dioxide to ethane (C₂H₆), while only CO was obtained over pure BiOCl nanosheets. In this study, the rate of C₂H₆ production (12.2 μmol h^-1 g^-1) and selectivity of C₂H₆ (75.7%) were obtained over the Au₁Cu₁/BiOCl photocatalyst under simulated sunlight illumination. The AuCu nanoparticles played the dual role of electron traps and hot electron donors, facilitating efficient separation and migration of the carriers. The photocatalyst exhibited steady photocatalytic activity over the test duration of 9 h.

Keywords:
BiOCl; photocatalysis; photocatalytic CO₂ reduction; AuCu nanoparticles.