Enhanced visible-light-driven CO2 photoreduction into methanol using PtO/GdFeO3 nanocomposites

Abstract

Herein, PtO-supported GdFeO₃ (PtO/GdFeO₃) composite photocatalysts were synthesized by a solution-based technique. Extensive analysis using various analytical instruments has shown that PtO plays a crucial function in augmenting the visible light absorption capacity of composites. Better photogenerated charge carrier transport was credited with this improvement, which led to a decrease in bandgap energy as low as 2.14 eV. The PtO/GdFeO₃ nanocomposites showed remarkable photocatalytic activity when exposed to visible light, especially in the conversion of CO₂ into CH₃OH. After 9 h of light, a noteworthy yield of 1550 μmol·g⁻¹ of methanol was produced, demonstrating maximum efficiency at a dose of 2.0 g·L⁻¹ and a concentration of 5.0% PtO/GdFeO₃. This yield indicates the effectiveness of the heterostructure, which outperformed pristine GdFeO₃ by a factor of 7.85. This significant enhancement highlights the potential advantages of the modified structure in improving performance. Most significantly, the photocatalyst's durability maintained 98.0% of its initial efficacy throughout five cycles. The success of PtO/GdFeO₃ is largely due to the synergistic light absorption capabilities and enhanced photocharge carrier separation that the integration of PtO produced. It highlights the conversion of CO₂ into valuable chemicals under visible light exposure, as well as the promise of mixed oxide nanostructures in ecologically responsible material creation.