Citation: Heng Zhang, Jiayi Zhang, Wenke Wang, Shuang Ma, Peiying Yang, Changdong Chen, Haopeng Jiang, Hao Xu. Interfacial charge transfer in TiO₂/CuWO₄ S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for enhanced CO₂ reduction[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(12): 112725. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2026.112725 shu

Interfacial charge transfer in TiO₂/CuWO₄ S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for enhanced CO₂ reduction

Heng Zhang ^d ,
Jiayi Zhang ^a ,
Wenke Wang ^a ,
Shuang Ma ^{a, *,} ,
Peiying Yang ^a ,
Changdong Chen ^a ,
Haopeng Jiang ^{b, *,} ,
Hao Xu ^{c, *,}

a.
School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering (Key Lab of Ecological Restoration in Hilly Areas), Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan 467000, China
b.
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Henan University of Urban Construction, Pingdingshan 467000, China
c.
College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
d.
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

mashuang@pdsu.edu.cn

hpjiang006@163.com

xuhao@henu.edu.cn

Received Date: 27 November 2025
Revised Date: 25 February 2026
Accepted Date: 2 April 2026
Available Online: 3 April 2026

Figures(5)

S-scheme heterojunctions effectively reconcile the limited light-harvesting efficiency and redox capability of single photocatalysts. However, the interfacial migration pathways of photogenerated charges remain difficult to elucidate. Here, we fabricate TiO₂/CuWO₄ S-scheme photocatalysts via electrostatic self-assembly, where TiO₂ nanoparticles are tightly coupled to the CuWO₄ surface. In suit X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, together with surface photovoltage measurements, reveals a pronounced internal electric field at the TiO₂/CuWO₄ interface that drives S-scheme charge transfer. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy further resolves the interfacial charge-transfer mechanism. Density functional theory calculations show that constructing a prototypical S-scheme heterojunction lowers the formation barrier of the key intermediate *COOH. Consequently, under sacrificial-agent-free conditions, the CO production rate of TiO₂/CuWO₄ reaches 9.53 μmol g^-1 h^-1, 3.47-folds higher than that of pristine TiO₂ (2.13 μmol g^-1 h^-1). This work underscores the pivotal role of interfacial carrier-transfer kinetics in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction.
- TiO₂,
- Photocatalyst,
- CuWO₄,
- S-scheme heterojunctions,
- CO₂ photoreduction
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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

Interfacial charge transfer in TiO2/CuWO4 S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for enhanced CO2 reduction

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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

Interfacial charge transfer in TiO₂/CuWO₄ S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for enhanced CO₂ reduction