Ultrathin Visible‐Light‐Driven Mo Incorporating In₂O₃–ZnIn₂Se₄ Z‐Scheme Nanosheet Photocatalysts

Abstract

Inspired by natural photosynthesis, the design of new Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems is very promising for boosting the photocatalytic performance of H2 production and CO2 reduction; however, until now, the direct synthesis of efficient Z‐scheme photocatalysts remains a grand challenge. Herein, it is demonstrated that an interesting Z‐scheme photocatalyst can be constructed by coupling In2O3 and ZnIn2Se4 semiconductors based on theoretical calculations. Experimentally, a class of ultrathin In2O3–ZnIn2Se4 (denoted as In2O3–ZISe) spontaneous Z‐scheme nanosheet photocatalysts for greatly enhancing photocatalytic H2 production is made. Furthermore, Mo atoms are incorporated in the Z‐scheme In2O3–ZISe nanosheet photocatalyst by forming the MoSe bond, confirmed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in which the formed MoSe2 works as cocatalyst of the Z‐scheme photocatalyst. As a consequence, such a unique structure of In2O3–ZISe–Mo makes it exhibit 21.7 and 232.6 times higher photocatalytic H2 evolution activity than those of In2O3–ZnIn2Se4 and In2O3 nanosheets, respectively. Moreover, In2O3–ZISe–Mo is also very stable for photocatalytic H2 production by showing almost no activity decay for 16 h test. Ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence spectroscopy, transient photocurrent spectra, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveal that the enhanced photocatalytic performance of In2O3–ZISe–Mo is mainly attributed to its widened photoresponse range and effective carrier separation because of its special structure.

Mo‐Doped ZnIn2S4 Flower‐Like Hollow Microspheres for Improved Visible Light‐Driven Hydrogen Evolution

“…In contrast, as a powerful tool, transient photocurrent spectra (Figure c) clearly show that M 0.2 ‐ZIS demonstrates remarkably enhanced photocurrent densities than ZIS and M 3 ‐ZIS, indicative of a more efficient separation and transport of photoinduced charge carriers, which is consistent with the test results of LSV and the photocatalytic H 2 production activity. EIS was conducted to probe the separation efficiency of charge carriers and present the transfer resistance across the solid–liquid junction in the electrode–electrolyte interface region . The Nyquist plots of ZIS, M 0.2 ‐ZIS, and M 3 ‐ZIS are shown in Figure d.…”

Highly Active Photocatalyst of Cu2O/TiO2 Octahedron for Hydrogen Generation

“…18−21 Constructing heterojunctions by introduction of co-catalysts has been proved to be one of the most promising ways to improve the solar-to-chemical energy conversion (and chemical stability) of TiO 2 and many other wide band gap (or unstable) semiconductors. 22−27 A good co-catalyst for constructing heterojunction should meet the following basic conditions: (i) small band gap (for the harvest of visible light); (ii) electron injection should be fast and efficient; and (iii) nontoxic, lowcost, and chemically stable. Besides, the energy position of the conduction band of TiO 2 is very close to the H + /H 2 reduction potential.…”

Antiperovskite Intermetallic Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction

“…Partially substituting carbon by nitrogen for electrocatalytic studies is herein, for the first time, considered in antiperovskite system. Typical p‐block metal indium was specifically introduced due to the capability of tuning the electronic structure and d band center of raw catalyst . It can be expected that the introduction of indium as the secondary metal in antiperovskite can modulate its adjacent Co catalytic properties.…”