Enhanced Photocatalytic Synthesis of Urea from co‐Reduction of N₂ and CO₂ on Z‐Schematic SrTiO₃‐FeS‐CoWO₄ Heterostructure

The photocatalytic co-reduction of CO₂ and N₂ is a sustainable method for urea synthesis under mild conditions. However, high-yield synthesis of urea is a challenge due to the sluggish kinetics of the C-N coupling reaction. Herein, we have successfully engineered a Z-scheme photocatalyst, SrTiO₃-FeS-CoWO₄, for boosting photocatalytic urea synthesis via enhancing the initial CO₂ and N₂ adsorption step and reducing the energy barrier for the C-N coupling reaction. A high urea yield of 8054.2 μg ⋅ g_cat ^-1 ⋅ h^-1 was achieved on SrTiO₃-FeS-CoWO₄, which was significantly higher than the state-of-the-art. The SrTiO₃-FeS-CoWO₄ Z-scheme photocatalyst, with accelerated charge transfer by FeS, not only had dual active sites for the chemical adsorption and activation of CO₂ and N₂, but also retained the high conduction band (-1.50 eV) and accelerated supply of electrons and protons, which are responsible for its good photoreduction activity and significantly reduced energy barrier for the rate-determining step of C-N coupling reaction.