Metal-Free Phosphorus-Doped ZnIn₂S₄ Nanosheets for Enhanced Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction

Abstract

ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) has shown great potential in photocatalytic solar-energy conversion. However, it is still suffering from severe charge recombination and poor surface area. Nonmetal heteroatom doping is considered as an effective strategy for improving its photocatalytic performance. Herein, phosphorus-doped ZIS (P-ZIS) nanosheets were prepared by a simple hydrothermal treatment of ZIS using NaH2PO4 as a precursor. The effect of P doping on the crystal structure, band structure, and the photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity of ZIS under visible light were investigated. It was found that P doping in the lattice of ZIS plays a key role in tuning its electronic properties. The ratio of ZIS to NaH2PO4 influences the photocatalytic performance of P-ZIS, and the optimum ratio is 1:15. Optimized P-ZIS exhibits a remarkable visible-light photocatalytic CO production rate of 18.8 μmol/30 min, 2.5-folds higher than that of the pure ZIS. The ultrathin nanosheets feature and an upward shift of CB edge result in the enhancement of CO2 photoreduction efficiency of P-ZIS. This work demonstrates a simple route for P doping in ZIS and provides guidance for the controllable design and synthesis of high-efficient photocatalysts by nonmetal heteroatom doping.

In situ growth of crystalline carbon nitride on LaOCl for photocatalytic overall water splitting

“…S7 †); the peak of La 3d in CCN/LaOCl shis towards a higher binding energy as compared with that in LaOCl, and the peaks of C 1s and N 1s in CCN/ LaOCl shi towards a lower binding energy as compared with those in CCN; these results show that the electron cloud density of the La element becomes lower and that of C and N elements gets higher in the hybrid, revealing the strong interaction between CCN and LaOCl in CCN/LaOCl. [31][32][33][34] The migration and transfer efficiency of photo-generated carriers are the key parameters in photocatalytic reactions. [35][36][37][38][39][40] Femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy is used to study the ultrafast exciton dynamics of samples in detail.…”

“…S7†); the peak of La 3d in CCN/LaOCl shifts towards a higher binding energy as compared with that in LaOCl, and the peaks of C 1s and N 1s in CCN/LaOCl shift towards a lower binding energy as compared with those in CCN; these results show that the electron cloud density of the La element becomes lower and that of C and N elements gets higher in the hybrid, revealing the strong interaction between CCN and LaOCl in CCN/LaOCl. 31–34…”

Construction of a Bismuthene/CsPbBr3 Quantum Dot S-Scheme Heterojunction and Enhanced Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

“…Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction is becoming one of the effective routes to solve the environmental issues and energy crisis. − Since Halmann has applied the photocatalytic process to convert CO 2 into fossil energy, photocatalysts, such as TiO 2 , g-C 3 N 4 , and ZnS, have been extensively studied under ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) irradiation. Most of the abovementioned photocatalysts show a low conversion efficiency due to their wide band gap and rapid recombination rate of photoinduced carriers.…”

Oxygen Vacancies Promoted Piezoelectricity toward Piezo-Photocatalytic Decomposition of Tetracycline over SrBi4Ti4O15

“…The photocatalytic technology based on semiconductor materials can convert solar energy into high-density chemical energy, which has attracted worldwide attention and has been applied in the field of environmental remediation and energy conversion. − Various photocatalysts have been employed to decompose tetracycline in the aqueous environment such as TiO 2 and g-C 3 N 4. Previous studies , imply that it is necessary to further improve the removal efficiency and the mineralization rate of tetracycline.…”