In this work, an S-doped biochar-supported CuInS2 quantum
dot-sensitized Bi2MoO6 hierarchical flower (CIS@BMO@SL)
was prepared using a bottom-up technique. The partial thermal reduction
of CuInS2 quantum dot-sensitized Bi2MoO6 successfully fabricated a dual heterojunction, which is composed
of CuInS2/Bi2MoO6 Z-scheme and Bi/Bi2MoO6 Mott–Schottky heterojunctions. The
dual heterojunction was identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(XPS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Under
the synergistic effect of the dual heterojunction, the electronic
kinetics was significantly improved. Furthermore, the charge transfer
resistance was further reduced by S-doped biochar. Under visible light
irradiation, an exceptional xylonic acid yield of 86.59% was realized
by CIS@BMO@SL. In this photocatalytic system, all active oxidation
species, namely, ·OH, 1O2, ·O2
–, and h+,
were beneficial for producing xylonic acid. The primary role of h+ in the photocatalytic system was demonstrated via a poisoning
experiment. According to XPS, the poisoning experiment, and electron
spin resonance, the generation of ·O2
– reveals a Z-scheme heterojunction between CuInS2 and Bi2MoO6.