Sustained CO2-photoreduction activity and high selectivity over Mn, C-codoped ZnO core-triple shell hollow spheres

Solar conversion of CO2 into energy-rich products is one of the sustainable solutions to lessen the global energy shortage and environmental crisis. Pitifully, it is still challenging to attain reliable and affordable CO2 conversion. Herein, we demonstrate a facile one-pot approach to design core-triple shell Mn, C-codoped ZnO hollow spheres as efficient photocatalysts for CO2 reduction. The Mn ions, with switchable valence states, function as “ionized cocatalyst” to promote the CO2 adsorption and light harvesting of the system. Besides, they can capture photogenerated electrons from the conduction band of ZnO and provide the electrons for CO2 reduction. This process is continuous due to the switchable valence states of Mn ions. Benefiting from such unique features, the prepared photocatalysts demonstrated fairly good CO2 conversion performance. This work is endeavoured to shed light on the role of ionized cocatalyst towards sustainable energy production. Photoreduction of CO2 into energy-rich products is a sustainable solution to lessen the global energy and environmental crisis. Here the authors show that Mn ions in Mn, C-codoped ZnO hollow spheres function as “ionized cocatalyst” to promote the CO2 adsorption and light harvesting to boost the CO2 photoreduction activity.