Facilitate nitrogen fixation photoreaction over decorated composited dots on the (001) facet exposed anatase titanium dioxide nanosheets

Anatase TiO 2 -based materials have received increasing attentions in the photocatalytic ammonia synthesis field, but the lower nitrogen absorption abilities and photoinduced charge carrier separation efficiencies restrict their further development. Herein, anatase titanium dioxide nanosheets modified with carbon dots/cobalt composite on the exposed (001) facets are designed through a simple strategy. The co-decorated photocatalyst presents a strong photo adsorption in the visible-light region, and strong chemisorption ability is received. The photocatalytic ammonia synthesis rates are approximately 162 μmol·g cal −1 ·h −1 without any additives, increasing approximately 4 times compared to the original TiO 2 . The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) at 420 nm reaches up to 0.6 %. Compared to the commercial nano-TiO 2 and as-prepared mesoscopic TiO 2 , the modified (001) exposed TiO 2 sample also has the best photocatalytic activity. Doping suitable modification structures on the appropriate exposed crystal facet of anatase TiO 2 can further improve the nitrogen absorption and charge separation process. This study provides a new insight for the fabrication strategy of photo-catalytic ammonia synthesis materials.