Sulfoxide‐Functionalized Mesoporous C <sub>3</sub> N <sub>5</sub> as a Metal‐Free and Visible‐Light‐Driven Efficient Photocatalyst for CO <sub>2</sub> Reduction
Abstract Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction provides a promising green strategy to mitigate atmospheric CO 2 levels and simultaneously achieve valuable chemicals. C 3 N 5 has emerged as an excellent metal‐free photocatalyst for CO 2 RR due to its narrow bandgap with a lower conduction band edge, which provides high reduction potential to reduce thermodynamically stable CO 2 molecules. Surface functionalization and enhanced porosity can yield superior catalytic performance in C 3 N 5 . The recent efforts to synthesize sulfoxide‐functionalized mesoporous C 3 N 5 is reported, which enhances CO 2 RR up to 4.4 times (94.8 ± 11.2 µmol·g −1 in 8 h) that of intact C 3 N 5 . According to Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy analysis, while the functionalization of the C 3 N 5 surface with sulfoxide groups leaves the valence band position unchanged, it significantly shifts the conduction band position toward a more negative potential, thereby enhancing material reduction capabilities. Additionally, steady‐state photoluminescence and transient absorption and time‐resolved photoluminescence spectra indicate a significant reduction in exciton recombination. Insights from theoretical calculations reveal that SO‐functionalization enhances CO 2 adsorption and CO desorption, thereby facilitating enhanced photocatalytic CO 2 reduction.
Authors
- Ana Oberlintner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9437-8204)
- Ayona K. Jose
- Omar F. Mohammed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8500-1130)
- Matej Huš (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8318-5121)
- Issatay Nadinov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2636-6029)
- Ajayan Vinu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7508-251X)
- Blaž Likozar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7226-4302)
- Chung‐Hwan Jeon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8186-3323)
- Aathira M. Sadanandan
- Xuan Minh Chau Ta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6435-3361)
- Antonio Tricoli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4964-2111)
- CI Sathish (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0180-8613)
- Jae‐Hun Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1929-2878)
- Nithinraj Panangattu Dharmarajan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0395-7281)
- Mohammed Fawaz
- Gurwinder Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6611-3567)
- Vibin Perumalsamy
- Lijie Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1786-5962)
- Prashant Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3836-9463)
Institutions
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- ŠKUC Association (SI)
- Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (SI)
- National Institute of Chemistry (SI)
- Pusan National University (KR)
- University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (IN)
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
- University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2025-11-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202526623
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.36