Synergistic Engineering of Oxygen Vacancies and Topological Surface States in <scp> Bi <sub>2</sub> Te <sub>3</sub> </scp> / <scp> TiO <sub>2</sub> </scp> <sub>‐X</sub> Heterostructures for Highly Efficient Photothermal‐Driven <scp> CO <sub>2</sub> <

Solar‐driven photothermal CO 2 reduction into multicarbon (C 2 + ) products represents a promising yet challenging route for sustainable fuel production. A key obstacle remains the inefficient C–C coupling due to poor CO 2 activation and limited charge utilization, especially under full‐spectrum light. Herein, we propose a heterojunction photocatalyst that synergistically integrates the topological insulator Bi 2 Te 3 with oxygen‐doped TiO 2‐X to address these challenges. The metallic nature of Bi 2 Te 3 enables broad‐spectrum photon harvesting from UV to near‐infrared and generates substantial photothermal heat, while the oxygen vacancies in TiO 2‐X create an asymmetric electronic environment that promotes CO 2 adsorption, bending, and activation. The built‐in electric field formed at the heterointerface drives efficient electron transfer from Bi 2 Te 3 to TiO 2‐X , which suppresses charge recombination and ensures a prolonged electron supply for multistep reduction reactions. Under full‐spectrum irradiation without external heating, the optimized Bi 2 Te 3 /TiO 2‐X catalyst achieves a remarkable C 2 + production rate of 15.08 μmol g −1 h −1 with selectivity toward C 2 H 4 and C 2 H 6 . Combined photoelectronic measurements and theoretical analyses confirm that the synergistic photothermal–photocatalytic effect and tailored charge dynamics collectively lower the energy barrier for C–C coupling. This work offers a strategic material design leveraging topological insulators and defect engineering for efficient CO 2 ‐to‐C 2 + conversion.

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Publication Details

Journal
Energy & environment materials
Published
2026-01-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/eem2.70258
Primary Topic
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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Synergistic Engineering of Oxygen Vacancies and Topological Surface States in Bi 2 Te 3 / TiO 2 ‐X Heterostructures for Highly Efficient Photothermal‐Driven CO 2 <

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Synergistic Engineering of Oxygen Vacancies and Topological Surface States in Bi 2 Te 3 / TiO 2 ‐X Heterostructures for Highly Efficient Photothermal‐Driven CO 2 <

Dongbo Wang, Xingshuo Liu, Jing Qiao, Chenchen Zhao, Bin Zhang, Yi-Xiang Wang, Degang Zhao, Gang Liu, Zhao Qian, Rajeev Ahuja, Changcun Li, Yang Wang
article en

Abstract

Solar‐driven photothermal CO 2 reduction into multicarbon (C 2 + ) products represents a promising yet challenging route for sustainable fuel production. A key obstacle remains the inefficient C–C coupling due to poor CO 2 activation and limited charge utilization, especially under full‐spectrum light. Herein, we propose a heterojunction photocatalyst that synergistically integrates the topological insulator Bi 2 Te 3 with oxygen‐doped TiO 2‐X to address these challenges. The metallic nature of Bi 2 Te 3 enables broad‐spectrum photon harvesting from UV to near‐infrared and generates substantial photothermal heat, while the oxygen vacancies in TiO 2‐X create an asymmetric electronic environment that promotes CO 2 adsorption, bending, and activation. The built‐in electric field formed at the heterointerface drives efficient electron transfer from Bi 2 Te 3 to TiO 2‐X , which suppresses charge recombination and ensures a prolonged electron supply for multistep reduction reactions. Under full‐spectrum irradiation without external heating, the optimized Bi 2 Te 3 /TiO 2‐X catalyst achieves a remarkable C 2 + production rate of 15.08 μmol g −1 h −1 with selectivity toward C 2 H 4 and C 2 H 6 . Combined photoelectronic measurements and theoretical analyses confirm that the synergistic photothermal–photocatalytic effect and tailored charge dynamics collectively lower the energy barrier for C–C coupling. This work offers a strategic material design leveraging topological insulators and defect engineering for efficient CO 2 ‐to‐C 2 + conversion.

Energy & environment materials
Uppsala University (SE), Henan University of Science and Technology (CN), Harbin Institute of Technology (CN), University of Jinan (CN), Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (CN), Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (MY)
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, University of Jinan, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 73%
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
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