The advantageous active sites construction and the electronic structure modification of cobalt-modified CeO₂ for efficient solar-driven CO₂ reduction

Converting CO₂ into high-value-added products through photocatalytic technology is an effective approach to addressing the greenhouse effect and alleviating the energy crisis at present. In this paper, Co-doped CeO₂ was successfully prepared using the oil bath plus calcination method to achieve efficient photocatalytic reduction of CO₂. The introduction of Co provides advantageous active sites for the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction system, enhancing the adsorption of CO₂ molecules. Meanwhile, DFT calculations show that the introduction of Co can efficiently regulate the charge distribution to achieve electron localization, enhancing the activation of CO₂ molecules. Additionally, it can accelerate the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers, significantly improving the photocatalytic activity of CO₂ reduction. The CO yield of Co/CeO₂ is 19.50 μmol g^-1 h^-1, which is 12 times that of the CeO₂ monomer, and this catalyst has good stability. This research provides a new idea for doping metal oxides with metal elements for the efficient reduction of CO₂ in photocatalysis.