Semimetallic Bismuthene with Edge-Rich Dangling Bonds: Broad-Spectrum-Driven and Edge-Confined Electron Enhancement Boosting CO Hydrogenation Reduction.

Broad-spectrum-driven high-performance artificial photosynthesis is quite challenging. Herein, atomically ultrathin bismuthene with semimetallic properties is designed and demonstrated for broad-spectrum (ultraviolet-visible-near infrared light) (UV-vis-NIR)-driven photocatalytic CO hydrogenation. The trap states in the bandgap produced by edge dangling bonds prolong the lifetime of the photogenerated electrons from 90 ps in bulk Bi to 1650 ps in bismuthine, and excited-state electrons are enriched at the edge of bismuthine.

A novel Sillén-structured Bi-based oxybromide: CdBiOBr ultrathin nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic activity.

According to the typical Sillén-structured BiOBr, a simple solvothermal method was used to successfully synthesise Sillén-structured bimetallic oxyhalide CdBiOBr with the existence of 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([Cmim]Br), a kind of reactive ionic liquid. The introduction of the metal cadmium, which can form Sillén-structured bimetallic oxyhalide, made the alternating structure of BiOBr originally [BiO] and bilayer Br modified to that of [CdBiO] and monolayer Br. So that the distance between layer and layer is greatly shortened, which facilitates the migration and separation of photogenerated carriers and promotes the generation of more reactive oxygen species.