Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into CH4 over Ru-doped TiO2: Synergy of Ru and oxygen vacancies

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 and H2O into CH4 is an intriguing approach to achieve solar energy utilization and CO2 conversion, yet remains challenging in conversion efficiency. In this study, we present a synthesis of defected TiO2 nanocrystal with oxygen vacancies (Vo) by a facile Ru doping-induced strategy under hydrothermal condition. The synergistic effect of Ru and oxygen vacancies contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic reduction of CO2 toward CH4. Oxygen vacancies and doped Ru not only can synergistically promote the separation of photogenerated carriers, but also promote the CO2 adsorption, thus enhancing the photocatalytic activities. The optimal Ru-doped TiO2 (denoted as 1% Ru-TiO2-x) exhibited a remarkable enhanced photocatalytic performance with a CH4 yield of 31.63 μmol·g−1·h−1, which is significantly higher than Ru-TiO2 and TiO2-x counterparts. This study systematically investigates the multiple roles of Ru in CO2 reduction and provides new insights for the construction of metal oxide photocatalysts with oxygen vacancies by simple doping of metal ions.