Hierarchical Ag₃VO₄ Nanorods as an Excellent Visible Light Photocatalyst for CO₂ Conversion to Solar Fuels

The potential of photocatalytic CO₂ conversion is significant for the production of fuels and chemicals, while simultaneously mitigating CO₂ emissions and addressing environmental concerns. Despite the current drawbacks of single metal-based photocatalysts, such as lower performance, uncontrollable selectivity, and instability, this study focuses on the synthesis of Ag₃VO₄ nanorods using the sol–gel method. The goal is to create a highly effective catalyst for visible light-responsive CO₂ conversion. The successful synthesis of Ag₃VO₄ nanorods with a nanorod structure, functional under visible light, resulted in the highest yields of CH₄ and dimethyl ether (DME) at 271 and 69 µmole/g-cat, respectively. The optimized Ag₃VO₄ nanorods demonstrated performance improvements, with CH₄ and DME production 6.4 times and 4.5 times higher than when using V₂O₅ samples. This suggests that Ag₃VO₄ nanorods facilitate electron transfer to CO₂, offer short pathways for electron transfer, and create empty spaces within the nanorods as electron reservoirs, enhancing the photoactivity. The prolonged stability of Ag₃VO₄ in the CO₂ conversion system confirms that the nanorod structure provides controllable selectivity and stability. Therefore, the fabrication of nanorod structures holds promise in advancing high-performance photocatalysts in the field of photocatalytic CO₂ conversion to solar fuels.