ZnS/C Dual-Quantum-Dots Heterostructural Nanofibers for High-Performance Photocatalytic H₂O₂ Production

Abstract

Constructing heterostructures of dual quantum-dots (QDs) is a promising way to achieve high performance in photocatalysis, but it still faces substantial synthetic challenges. Herein, we developed an in situ transformation strategy to coassemble ZnS QDs and C QDs into dual-quantum-dot heterostructural nanofibers (ZnS/C-DQDH). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed the formation of strong Zn−O−C bonds at the interface between ZnS QDs and C QDs, improving the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers. The ZnS/C-DQDH demonstrated remarkable photocatalytic activity in H 2 O 2 production, with generation rates of 2896.4 μmol g cat −1 h −1 without sacrificial agents and 9879.3 μmol g cat −1 h −1 with ethanol as the sacrificial agent, significantly higher than the QD counterparts and surpassed state-of-the-art photocatalysts. Moreover, due to the nanofibrous feature, ZnS/C-DQDH demonstrated excellent stability and facile recyclability. This work provides a facile and large scalable method to gain dual-quantum-dot heterostructures and a promising alternative for photocatalytic H 2 O 2 production.