Ultrathin, single-crystal WO(3) nanosheets by two-dimensional oriented attachment toward enhanced photocatalystic reduction of CO(2) into hydrocarbon fuels under visible light.
An ultrathin, single-crystal WO3 nanosheet of ∼4-5 nm in thickness, corresponding to six repeating unit cells of monoclinic WO3 along the c axis, was synthesized with laterally oriented attachment of tiny WO3 nanocrystals formed using a solid-liquid phase arc discharge route in an aqueous solution. Size-quantization effects in this ultrathin nanostructure alter the WO3 band gap to enable the nanosheet to exhibit enhanced performance for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 in the presence of water in hydrocarbon fuels that do not exist in its bulk form.
Eco-Materials and Renewable Energy Research Center (ERERC), National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, ‡School of Physics, and §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210093, P. R. China.
Xiaoyu
X
Chen
Yong
Y
Zhou
Qi
Q
Liu
Zhengdao
Z
Li
Jianguo
J
Liu
Zhigang
Z
Zou