Photon driven nitrogen fixation via Ni-incorporated ZrO2/Bi2O3: p-n heterojunction

One of the promising approaches to synthesize ammonia in ambient conditions is through artificial photocatalytic nitrogen fixation. In order to overcome the hassles of charge carrier recombination and finite light response of photocatalysts, high charge separation efficiency and a wide window for optical absorption are imperative. Herein, Ni-incorporated ZrO2/Bi2O3 has been fabricated with p-n heterojunction and a bandgap aligned to absorb visible light up to 560 nm which play an important role in enhancing the production rate of ammonia. The catalyst exhibits a maximum ammonia generation rate of 9668.2 mu mol h-1 g- 1. Further, systematic characterization studies confirm the formation of the desired photocatalyst. This work presents a propitious strategy to configure appropriate visible light responsive photocatalyst that efficiently reduces nitrogen.