Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2026, Vol. 83: 244-257.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)64987-X

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Triazine-based COF/TiO2 S-scheme heterojunction with oxygen vacancies for efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Keshan Tanga,1, Wanyi Dengb,1, Ningyuan Wanga, Yang Xiaa,*(), Xinhe Wud, Heng Yangc,*()   

  1. aKey Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Lab of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
    bSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, Hubei, China
    cHubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Waste Resource Utilization, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, Hubei, China
    dHubei Key Laboratory of Pollutant Analysis and Reuse Technology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, Hubei, China
  • Received:2025-08-02 Accepted:2025-11-04 Online:2026-04-18 Published:2026-03-04
  • Contact: Yang Xia, Heng Yang
  • About author:First author contact:1Contributed equally to this work.
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(22478308);National Natural Science Foundation of China(22108211);National Natural Science Foundation of China(22402156);Hubei key laboratory of pollutant analysis & reuse Technology(Hubei Normal University PA240204)

Abstract:

Solar-driven CO2 conversion into valuable hydrocarbon fuels process primarily depends on the development of efficient photocatalysts capable of achieving effective charge separation, high sunlight utilization, and strong reactant adsorption. In this work, one-dimensional (1D) TiO2 nanobelts with abundant oxygen vacancies (TN) were strategically coupled with a two-dimensional (2D) electron-rich triazine-based covalent organic framework (CTF) to construct a high-efficiency 1D/2D TN/CTF S-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The resulting TN/CTF composites exhibited impressive CO2 conversion rates toward CO and CH4 generation, with the optimized TN/CTF composite (TN/CTF10) achieving the highest CO and CH4 yields of 21.4 and 7.9 μmol g‒1 h‒1, respectively, which were 3.5- and 4.4-fold higher than those of pristine CTF and represented 6.5- and 7.2-fold enhancements compared to pure TN. The charge-transfer mechanism involved in the S-scheme heterojunction was identified via photo-irradiated Kelvin probe force microscopy, in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations, while the formation of oxygen vacancies was confirmed by electron spin resonance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Further in-depth studies indicate that the oxygen vacancies in TN greatly broaden light absorption and provide an intermediate energy level that accelerates charge separation in the S-scheme heterojunction, thereby significantly improving light-harvesting efficiency and suppressing charge recombination. Meanwhile, the synergistic integration of defect engineering with S-scheme heterojunction design optimizes redox capability and CO2 adsorption strength to enhance the CO2 reduction reaction. This work offers a new perspective on designing high-performance photocatalysts by integrating defect engineering into S-scheme heterojunctions.

Key words: Photocatalysis, S-scheme heterojunction, Oxygen vacancy, CO2 reduction