Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (1): 343-350.doi: 10.1007/s40242-025-5126-5

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

In situ-illuminated XPS Investigation of S-Scheme Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Nanofiber Photocatalysts for Efficient CO2 Photoreduction

WANG Zicong, LI Xi, LIU Yunlong, WU Xiangsi, WU Xianwen, XIA Wu   

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, P. R. China
  • Received:2025-06-10 Online:2026-02-01 Published:2026-01-28
  • Contact: WU Xiangsi,E-mail:xswu2015@163.com;XIA Wu,E-mail:chemxw_2008@163.com E-mail:xswu2015@163.com;chemxw_2008@163.com
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52462034, 52464030), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (Nos. 2024JJ7398, 2024JJ7407), the Outstanding Youth Foundation of Hunan Provincial Education Department, China (Nos. 23B0527, 23B0503), the Outstanding Youth Funding Program of Hunan Province, China (No. 2023JJ10033), the Scientific Research Start-up Funding of Jishou University, China (No. 28), and the Aid Program for Science and Technology Innovative Research Team in Higher Educational Institutions of Hunan Province, China.

Abstract: The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 for the production of solar fuels without sacrificing agents is an environmentally friendly and important process, with the development of high-performance photocatalysts being a key focus. An inorganic/organic semiconducting pair with an S-scheme mechanism has been incorporated in a hybrid fiber morphology designed specifically for an S-scheme heterojunction. Specifically, polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles were synthesized within the walls of TiO2 nanofibers through in situ self-polymerization of dopamine hydrochloride. The TiO2@PDA composite photocatalyst with 1.0% PDA decoration exhibited the highest CO yield of 19.15 μmol·h-1·g-1, which was 2.6 times greater that of pure TiO2 (7.25 μmol·h-1·g-1). Combining PDA and TiO2 nanofibers arranged in an S-scheme heterojunction can be attributed to the improved light absorption and the effective charge carrier separation and transfer. Consequently, this research introduces a novel approach for developing inorganic/organic S-scheme heterojunctions with a fiber morphology to enhance CO2 photoreduction efficiency.

Key words: TiO2 nanofiber, Polydopamine, Photocatalytic CO2 reduction, S-Scheme mechanism, Solar fuel