Flame spray pyrolysis synthesized ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites for enhanced CO2 photocatalytic reduction under UV-Vis light irradiation

•ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were one-step synthesized by FSP.•ZnCe catalysts exhibited enhanced UV-Vis light activity for CO2 reduction.•The roles of ZnO and CeO2 during photocatalytic reaction were identified.•The deactivation of ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were analyzed.

CO2 photocatalytic reduction over semiconductor materials has attracted worldwide attentions. In this paper, ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites with different Zn/Ce molar ratios were one-step synthesized through flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) and their photocatalytic activities for CO2 reduction were investigated. The results indicate that the addition of CeO2 enhances the surface area and extends the light response to visible light region. The introduction of ZnO enhances the interaction between CO2 and the nanocomposites. In addition, the formation of ZnO/CeO2 heterojunction and co-existence of Ce4+/Ce3+ remarkably promote the separation of photogenerated electron-holes pairs within the composites. Due to the special composition and structure, the ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites exhibited enhanced CO2 photocatalytic reduction under UV-Vis light irradiation.

Graphical abstractEnhanced CO2 photocatalytic reduction over ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites.Download high-res image (119KB)Download full-size image