Synthesis of Bi₆Mo₂O₁₅ sub-microwires via a molten salt method and enhancing the photocatalytic reduction of CO ₂ into solar fuel through tuning the surface oxide vacancies by simple post-heating treatment

Monoclinic phase Bi₆Mo₂O₁₅ sub-microwires consisting of MoO₄ tetrahedra have been successfully synthesized by a molten salt method. The wide-bandgap sub-microwire exhibits photocatalytic activity toward the photoreduction of CO₂ into CH₄. The existence of surface oxide vacancies enhanced the photocatalytic activity, which can be easily tuned via different post-heating temperatures, through capturing photo-generated electrons at the surface, thus being beneficial for the separation of electrons and holes and prolonging the lifetime of the electrons.