Search

Using solar energy through green and simple artificial photosynthesis systems are considered as a promising way to solve the energy and environmental crisis. However, one of the important primary steps of photosynthesis, i.e., energy transfer, is long being ignored especially in inorganic semiconducting systems due to the small exciton binding energies. Herein, the simultaneous interrogation of the charge transfer and energy transfer steps in a photoexcitation process is proposed by utilizing few‐layered nanosheet‐assembled hierarchical BiOBr nanotubes with rich oxygen vacancies (OVs) as efficient multifunctional photocatalysts. Benefiting from the integrated 1D/2D structure and abundant OV defects, the excitonic effect strikes a delicate balance in the optimized BiOBr photocatalyst, showing not only improved charge carrier separation and transfer but also enhanced exciton generation. As a result, the hierarchical BiOBr nanotubes exhibit high efficiency toward photocatalytic CO2 reduction with an impressive CO evolution rate of 135.6 µmol g−1 h−1 without cocatalyst or photosensitizer. The dominant reactive oxygen species of singlet oxygen (1O2) are discriminated for the first time, which originated from an energy transfer process, with electrophilic character, whereas the minor effect of superoxide anion radical (•O2−) with a nucleophilic rate‐determining step in the photocatalytic aerobic oxidation of sulfides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D moiré superlattices offer a versatile platform for manipulating quantum materials, exploiting their spatially varying atomic registry to modify electronic structures, resulting in the emergence of flat electronic minibands, enhanced electronic interactions, and the onset of novel quantum phenomena. Despite extensive investigations into moiré excitons within twisted bilayer moiré superlattices, the interplay between moiré superlattices and optical microcavities remains elusive. Here, a WSe2 homobilayer with a small twist angle positioned on optical microcavities atop a SiO2 (285 nm)/Si substrate is investigated. Utilizing low‐temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, it is observed that the twisted homobilayer at the edge of the optical cavity (Edge‐THB) exhibits enhanced localization of moiré excitons and a deeper moiré potential. This behavior is attributed to the combined influence of strain induced by the optical microcavity structure on the moiré superlattice and the amplification of the electromagnetic field. Furthermore, the existence of moiré excitons through a comprehensive analysis, encompassing temperature‐dependent PL spectra, circularly polarized PL spectra, and Landé g‐factor measurements for Edge‐THB is validated. These findings provide valuable insights into the intricate interaction between moiré superlattices and optical microcavities, paving the way for future applications in quantum technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]