Photoinduced Formation of Oxygen Vacancies on Mo-Incorporated WO<sub>3</sub> for Direct Oxidation of Benzene to Phenol by Air
Zhenzhen Yu, Dexi Yu, Xiaoyi Wang, Xiaoyi Wang, Mei‐Rong Huang, Yidong Hou, Wei Lin, Masakazu Anpo, Jimmy C. Yu, Jinshui Zhang, Xinchen Wang, Xinchen Wang
Abstract
Photocatalysts with abundant oxygen vacancies (OVs) exhibit enhanced activity for the direct oxidation of benzene to phenol with O 2, owing to their superior O 2 activation and charge separation properties. However, OVs on metal oxide surfaces such as WO 3 are susceptible to healing by oxygen-containing reactants or intermediates, leading to their irreversible deactivation. Herein, we demonstrate that incorporating Mo into the WO 3 lattice effectively lowers the energy barrier for OV formation, promoting the dynamic formation of more abundant photoinduced OVs in situ on the surface during the photocatalytic reaction. These Mo-promoted photoinduced OVs are found to ensure the long-term sustainability of sufficient OVs under working conditions, enhancing photocatalytic performance and particularly its durability in the aerobic oxidation of benzene to phenol. These findings provide a straightforward strategy to overcome the issue of OV healing, enabling the sustainable operation of OV-rich photocatalysts for a range of emerging applications, even in O 2 -involved redox reactions.