@article{Dai2026, 
author = {Yanyan Dai and Qianfei Ma and Xiaofeng Sun and Zainab Mehfooz and Zao Yi and Jinyuan Ma and Huaijing Chen and Guorong Liu and Zhansheng Lu and Hua Yang},
title = {Cobalt doping-induced spin polarization and in-situ Bi0 decoration of Bi2MoO6 synergistically boosting photocatalytic CO2-to-CO conversion},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
keywords = {cobalt-doped Bi2MoO6, spin polarization, Bi0 nanocrystal decoration, photocatalytic CO2 reduction, cascade synergistic mechanism},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94909275},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94909275},
abstract = {Photocatalytic CO2 reduction utilizing solar energy to convert CO2 into value-added fuels and chemicals is regarded as a promising strategy for alleviating energy crises and achieving carbon cycling. However, this process remains limited by rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers and sluggish CO2 activation kinetics. In this work, Bi2MoO6 (BMO)-based photocatalysts with Co doping and in-situ formation of Bi0 nanocrystals were developed through a facile one-step solvothermal method. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis reveals that Co species are atomically dispersed within the BMO lattice in a CoO4 coordination configuration. The weak crystal-field environment of CoO4 preserves unpaired 3d electrons and induces spin-polarized electronic states, thereby decreasing the photocarrier recombination. Meanwhile, the Co doping leads to in-situ formation of Bi0 nanocystals on the catalyst surface, which promotes photocarrier transfer between Bi0 and Co-BMO and facilitates the photocarrier separation. The Co doping increases the CO2 adsorption energy on the Bi active sites and decreases the energy barrier for the formation of the key *COOH intermediate. Moreover, the Co doping generates extra Co and Bi0 active sites for CO2 photoreduction reactions. The cascade synergistic mechanism significantly boosts the photocatalytic CO2-to-CO conversion, where the optimal Co2-BMO sample delivers a CO production rate of 158.47 μmol g−1 h−1 that is 3.8 times higher than that of pristine BMO. This work provides an intriguing strategy for designing efficient solar-driven CO2 conversion photocatalysts from the perspectives of electronic spin manipulation and interfacial charge transfer.}
}