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.
Authors
- Dongbo Wang
- Xingshuo Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1077-1904)
- Jing Qiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0179-7709)
- Chenchen Zhao
- Bin Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4879-0211)
- Yi-Xiang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4021-4228)
- Degang Zhao
- Gang Liu
- Zhao Qian
- Rajeev Ahuja
- Changcun Li
- Yang Wang
Institutions
- 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)
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
Funders
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- University of Jinan
- Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province