Novel pyrochlore type europium stannate – tungsten disulfide heterostructure for light driven carbon dioxide reduction and nitrogen fixation

The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) to value-added products is a substantial area of research in the fields of sustainable chemistry and renewable energy that aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the production of alternative fuels and chemicals. The current work deals w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental research 2024-09, Vol.257, p.119372, Article 119372
Main Authors: Yogesh Kumar, K., Prashanth, M.K., Shanavaz, H., Parashuram, L., Alharethy, Fahd, Jeon, Byong-Hun, Raghu, M.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
CO2 reduction
Heterostructure
N2 fixation
Photocatalysis
Pyrochlore
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Summary:The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) to value-added products is a substantial area of research in the fields of sustainable chemistry and renewable energy that aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the production of alternative fuels and chemicals. The current work deals with the synthesis of pyrochlore-type europium stannate (Eu2Sn2O7: EuSnO), tungsten disulfide (WS2:WS), and novel EuSnO/WS heterostructure by a simple and facile co-precipitation-aided hydrothermal method. Using different methods, the morphological and structural analyses of the prepared samples were characterized. It was confirmed that a heterostructure was formed between the cubic EuSnO and the layered WS. Synthesized materials were used for photocatalytic CO2 and N2 reduction under UV and visible light. The amount of CO and CH4 evolved due to CO2 reduction is high in EuSnO/WS (CO = 104, CH4 = 64 μmol h−1 g−1) compared to pure EuSnO (CO = 36, CH4 = 70 μmol h−1 g−1) and WS (CO = 22, CH4 = 1.8 μmol h−1 g−1) under visible light. The same trend was observed even in the N2 fixation reaction under visible light, and the amount of NH4+ produced was found to be 13, 26, and 41 μmol h−1 g−1 in the presence of WS, EuSnO and EuSnO/WS, respectively. Enhanced light-driven activity towards CO2 and N2 reduction reactions in EuSnO/WS is due to the efficient charge separation through the formation of type-II heterostructure, which is in part associated with photocurrent response, photoluminescence, and electrochemical impedence spectroscopic (EIS) results. The EuSnO/WS heterostructure's exceptional stability and reusability may pique the attention of pyrochlore-based composite materials in photocatalytic energy and environmental applications. [Display omitted] •Co-precipitation assisted hydrothermal method for fabrication of novel EuSnO/WS heterostructure.•Enhanced activity in EuSnO/WS compared to pristine materials.•EuSnO/WS evolved 104 and 64 μmol h−1 g−1 of CO and CH4, respectively.•Photocatalytic N2 fixation resulted in evolution of 41 μmol h−1 g−1NH4+.•Photocatalytic CRR and NRR follows type-II heterostructure.
ISSN:0013-9351
1096-0953
1096-0953
DOI:10.1016/j.envres.2024.119372