Hierarchical NiCo 2 S 4 /ZnIn 2 S 4 heterostructured prisms: High-efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production under visible-light

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science Vol. 619; p. 339
• Main Authors: Wu, Kai, Jiang, Renqian, Zhao, Yulong, Mao, Liang, Gu, Xiuquan, Cai, Xiaoyan, Zhu, Mingshan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2022
• Subjects: Hollow structure; Hydrogen; Charge separation; Co-catalyst; Photocatalyst

Exploring low-cost co-catalyst to ameliorate the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors sets a clear direction for solving energy crisis and achieving efficient solar-chemical energy conversion. In this work, a unique hierarchical hollow heterojunction was constructed by in-situ growing ZnIn S nanosheets on the porous NiCo S hollow prisms through a low temperature solvothermal method, in which NiCo S with semi-metal property acted as non-noble metal co-catalyst. NiCo S co-catalyst was innovatively encapsulated in ZnIn S , which not only relieved the light shielding effect caused by the large loading amount of co-catalyst, but also supplied abundant active sites for H evolution. The hierarchical hollow heterostructure of NiCo S /ZnIn S provided a highly efficient channel for charge transfer. Combining these advantages, NiCo S /ZnIn S composite demonstrated excellent photocatalytic activity. In the absence of sacrificial agent, the NiCo S /ZnIn S photocatalyst achieved a remarkable improved H yield of 0.77 mmol g h under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm), which is 6.6 times greater than that of ZnIn S . Besides, NiCo S even exhibited better performance on the H evolution improvement of ZnIn S than precious metal Pt. This work will offer novel insights into the reasonable design of non-noble metal photocatalysts with respectable activity for water splitting.