Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production via Interfacial Engineering on 2D Ultrathin Z‐Scheme ZnIn₂S₄/g‐C₃N₄ Heterojunction

Abstract

2D layered nanomaterials as photocatalysts have attracted much attention in the field of solar hydrogen production due to their unique electronic structure and abundant active sites. Nevertheless, the rational design and interfacial regulation of 2D Z‐scheme heterojunction are still challenging. Herein, an ultrathin 2D ZnIn2S4/g‐C3N4 Z‐scheme heterojunction is precisely constructed via in‐situ growth of ZnIn2S4 on the g‐C3N4. By carefully regulating the interface structure in heterojunction, the hydrogen evolution performance can be greatly improved. The optimized photocatalyst exhibits a remarkable photocatalytic activity without Pt as cocatalyst, which is primarily ascribed to the synergistic effect of abundant active sites, enhanced photoresponse, and valid interfacial charge transfer channels. Meanwhile, the spectroscopic analyses and density functional theory (DFT) calculation results comprehensively prove that the promoted interfacial charge separation in 2D Z‐scheme heterojunction is another key factor for the enhanced photocatalytic performance. This work offers a new avenue for the rational design of ultrathin Z‐scheme heterojunction photocatalysts with improved photocatalytic performance through interfacial engineering.

Facilitating charge transfer through an atomic coherent interface of a novel direct Z-scheme BiVO4@Cu3SnS4 heterojunction to boost photocatalytic performance

“…Furthermore, note that τ 1 and τ 2 represent the non-irradiative recombination and inter-band recombination, respectively, and A 1 and A 2 are the corresponding amplitudes. 32 Apparently, the decreases in both τ 2 and A 2 are found for BVO@CTS-0.19, suggesting the reduced inter-band recombination. These results reveal that the coherent interface within BVO@CTS-0.19 is conducive to improving the electron transfer efficiency, and thus the inter-band recombination can be effectively suppressed.…”

Bifunctional thioacetamide-mediated synthesis of few-layered MoOSx nanosheet-modified CdS hollow spheres for efficient photocatalytic H2 production

“…8E). 44 As a result, an internal electric field (IEF) directed from MoOS x to CdS is constructed owing to the preceding free-electron redistribution. 45 In this case, under visible-light illumination, the photoexcited electrons from CdS are unavoidably pushed from CdS to MoOS x cocatalysts, in favor of the efficient charge separation.…”

Heteroatom-induced domain electrostatic potential difference in ZnIn2S4nanosheets for efficient charge separation and boosted photocatalytic overall water splitting

“…Two-dimensional (2D) ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS) nanosheets as typical transition metal sulfides with visible light response are a kind of particularly promising photocatalytic materials due to their appropriate energy band structure with the potential for water redox reactions. [13][14][15] In recent years, the application of ZIS in the field of photocatalytic water splitting has been widely reported. [16][17][18] Guo et al prepared a ZnIn 2 S 4 @CuInS 2 core-shell p-n heterojunction (ZIS@CIS) using a two-step hydrothermal method.…”