Boosted Selective Photooxidation of Methane to Methanol on Bi2S3/BiOCl-OV Heterojunctions

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Researchers at Henan Polytechnic University have developed a novel approach for the selective photooxidation of methane to methanol using a photothermal synergistic catalysis system. This method leverages the energy of solar radiation to enhance the efficiency of methane conversion, yielding methanol with high selectivity and productivity. The researchers' approach involves creating a heterojunction between BiS and BiOCl, where BiS serves as a photo-to-thermal conversion material and forms a S-scheme heterojunction with BiOCl. The resulting catalyst exhibits impressive performance, outperforming existing photocatalysts and demonstrating potential for large-scale industrial applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • The researchers developed a photothermal synergistic catalysis system that utilizes solar radiation to enhance methane conversion efficiency.
  • The BiS/BiOCl-O catalyst exhibits high selectivity (90.2%) and productivity (11.83 mmol/g) for methanol production after 2 hours of irradiation.
  • The performance of the BiS/BiOCl-O catalyst is significantly higher than that of pristine BiOCl and most recently reported photocatalysts (4.01 and 1.98 times, respectively).
  • The CHOH productivity reached up to 10.79 mmol/g with a selectivity of 89.5% under concentrated outdoor natural sunlight.
  • The researchers' approach involves creating a heterojunction between BiS and BiOCl, where BiS serves as a photo-to-thermal conversion material and forms a S-scheme heterojunction with BiOCl.
  • The resulting catalyst demonstrates high-quality interface and efficient charge migration, leading to enhanced catalysis kinetics.

Statistics:

  • Selectivity: 90.2%
  • Productivity: 11.83 mmol/g
  • Performance enhancement compared to pristine BiOCl: 4.01 and 1.98 times
  • CHOH productivity under concentrated outdoor natural sunlight: 10.79 mmol/g
  • Catalysis kinetics enhancement: High-quality interface and efficient charge migration

Sources:

  • Boosted selective photooxidation of methane to methanol on Bi2S3/BiOCl-OV heterojunctions with atomic co-sharing interface via synergy of S-scheme charge transfer and photothermal effect, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science (Elsevier), 2025;699:138228.
  • Henan Polytechnic University Reports Findings in Science (Boosted selective photooxidation of methane to methanol on Bi2S3/BiOCl-OV heterojunctions with atomic co-sharing interface via synergy of S-scheme charge transfer and photothermal effect), Chemicals & Chemistry, July 11, 2025; p 1685.