LAUSR

A p–n heterostructured α-Fe2O3/MoS2 composite via Fe–S bonds was developed as a highly efficient CO2 photoreduction catalyst driven by visible light. The α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were embedded between the flower-like MoS2 layers, benefitting for the uniform dispersion of themselves and meanwhile promoting the formation of 1T–MoS2. The construction of p–n heterostructure caused by Fe–S bonds led to the close contact between α-Fe2O3 and MoS2, in which α-Fe2O3 was capped with few MoS2 layers and enhanced the segregation and transportation of photoinduced electrons and holes. As a result, the 5FM photocatalyst (5 wt % α-Fe2O3 loading on MoS2) exhibited an excellent CO2 photoreduction performance, which obtained 121 μmol·h–1·g–1 of CH4 and 41 μmol·h–1·g–1 of CH3OH. During the photoreduction process, α-Fe2O3 species were the main active sites, confirmed by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy.