Zn x Cd1-x S tunable band structure-directing photocatalytic activity and selectivity of visible-light reduction of CO2 into liquid solar fuels.

A series of Zn x Cd1-x S monodispersed nanospheres were successfully synthesized with tunable band structures. As-prepared Zn x Cd1-x S solid solutions show much enhanced photocatalytic efficiency for CO2 photoreduction in aqueous solutions under visible light irradiation, relative to pure CdS analog. Methanol (CH3OH) and acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) are the major products of CO2 photoreduction for the solid solutions with x = 0, 0.2, and 0.5. Interestingly, Zn0.8Cd0.2S photocatalyst with a wide band gap can also additionally generate ethanol (CH3CH2OH) besides CH3OH and CH3CHO. The balance between the band structure-directing redox capacity and light absorption should be considered to influence both product yield and selectivity of CO2 photoreduction. The possible photoreduction mechanism was tentatively proposed.