Formation of p-BN@Zn/Co-ZIF Hybrid materials for improved photocatalytic CO2 reduction by H2O

A series of p-BN@Zn/Co-ZIF hybrid materials were successfully prepared by the integration of porous boron nitride (p-BN) and bimetallic zeolite imidazolate framework (Zn/Co-ZIF). The as-prepared hybrid materials possessed a high specific surface area and porosity, thus allowing efficient capture and activation of CO2. At the same time, the formation of analogue type-II heterojunction through the synergistic effect of p-BN and Zn/Co-ZIF contributed to the rapid separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. As a result, the photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity of p-BN@Zn/Co-ZIF was significantly enhanced. In particular, the yield of CO was up to 152.2 μmol∙g−1, corresponding to 6.68-folds increase over that of pure Zn/Co-ZIF, and the selectivity of CO in the total products reached 93.57%. Taking into account the chemical and structural tunability of p-BN and Zn/Co-ZIF, it is expected that the excellent photocatalytic capabilities of the p-BN@Zn/Co-ZIF hybrid materials will be further applied to the wider field of solar fuel synthesis. © 2022