Light-tuned switching of charge transfer channel for simultaneously boosted photoactivity and stability

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Vol. 238; pp. 19 - 26
• Main Authors: Xie, Yang-Shan, Yuan, Lan, Zhang, Nan, Xu, Yi-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.12.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Anti-photocorrosion; Catalytic activity; Charge transfer; Corrosion; Current carriers; Heterostructures; Irradiation; Light irradiation; Molybdenum disulfide; Nanorod heterostructure arrays; Nanotechnology; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Redox reactions; Semiconductors; Stability; Switching; Type-II heterojunction; Ultraviolet radiation; Z-scheme heterojunction; Zinc oxide; Nanorod heterostructure arrays; Type-II heterojunction; Anti-photocorrosion; Z-scheme heterojunction
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.07.006

Tuning light irradiation from visible light to UV–vis light can switch the interfacial charge transfer heterojunction routes of ternary ZnO-CdS-MoS2 (ZCM) catalyst from conventional type-II to direct Z-scheme, in which the Z-scheme system boosts more efficient charge separation and timely consumption of hole and electron for respective redox processes, thereby resulting in more distinct activity enhancement and particularly photocorrosion inhibition than the type-II system over the ZCM photocatalyst. [Display omitted] •Ternary ZnO-CdS-MoS2 (ZCM) core-shell heterostructure photocatalyst is prepared.•Type-II and Z-scheme heterojunctions are tuned by switching light irradiation.•The Z-scheme system exhibits higher photocatalytic H2 evolution activity.•The Z-scheme charge transfer pathway shows a superior anti-photocorrosion capability. The design and construction of semiconductor-based photocatalysts with high activity and stability toward redox reactions is an imperative requirement for practical photocatalytic applications. Here, we report that tuning light irradiation from visible light to UV–vis light can simultaneously improve the photocatalytic activity and stability of ternary ZnO-CdS-MoS2(ZCM) heterostructure catalyst for H2 evolution, which is enabled by switching the interfacial charge transfer channel from the conventional type-II charge transfer pathway to the direct Z-scheme pathway. The Z-scheme system boosts more efficient charge carrier separation and consumption of holes and electrons for respective redox processes, thereby resulting in more distinct activity enhancement and particularly photocorrosion inhibition than the type-II system over the ZCM photocatalyst.