Znln2S4 has great prospects for
photocatalytic
water splitting to hydrogen by visible light. Herein, a novel Znln2S4–In-MOF (ZnInMS4) photocatalyst is elaborately synthesized by in situ method with
In-MOF as the template and In3+ as the source. ZnInMS4 overcomes the fast interface charge recombination
and a sluggish charge lifetime via the formed heterojunctions. Photoelectrochemical
measurements reveal that the charge-transfer kinetics is enhanced
since In-MOF is introduced to act as a reliable charge-transport channel.
ZnInMS4 exhibits outstanding cocatalyst-free
H2 evolution rate of 70 μmol h–1 under irradiation (λ > 420 nm), which is 3.2-fold higher
than
that of Znln2S4. In addition, the ZnInMS4 photocatalyst shows good stability in the 16 h continuous
reaction. This work illustrates the feasibility of the MOF precursor
instead of inorganic salts to directly synthesize photocatalysts with
high performance.