Anchoring ZnIn2S4 nanosheets on cross-like FeSe2 to construct photothermal-enhanced S-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic H2 evolution

Abstract

Rational design of the morphology and heterojunction to accelerate the separation of electron-hole pairs has played an indispensable role in improving the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) has aroused considerable attention in solar-to-chemical energy conversion due to its remarkable photoelectrical properties and relatively negative energy band, whereas it still suffers from the severe photogenerated carrier recombination and catalyst aggregation. Herein, guided by density functional theory calculations, the constructed FeSe2@ZnIn2S4 (FS@ZIS) heterojunction model has a hydrogen Gibbs free energy closer to zero compared with pure ZIS and FS, which is beneficial for hydrogen adsorption and desorption on the photocatalyst surface. Therefore, a novel cross-like core–shell FS@ZIS Step-scheme (S-scheme) heterojunction was synthesized successfully by in-situ growing ZIS nanosheets on the surface of cross-like FS. The structure with cross-like core–shell morphology not only inhibits the agglomeration of ZIS to increase specific surface area, but also provides a tight interface with S-scheme heterojunction. Moreover, the S-scheme heterojunction with a tight interface can effectively separate electron-hole pairs, leaving photoinduced charges with higher potentials. Furthermore, FS@ZIS-20 possesses exceptional photothermal capabilities, enabling the conversion of optical energy from visible and near infrared light to heat, thereby further enhancing the photocatalysis reaction. As a result, the cross-like core–shell FS@ZIS S-scheme heterojunction exhibits an excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (7.640 mmol g−1 h−1), which is 24 times higher than that of pure ZIS (0.319 mmol g−1 h−1) under visible and near infrared light. Furthermore, employing more in-depth density functional theory calculations further investigates the charge transfer pathway of the FS@ZIS S-scheme heterojunction. This work provides insights into the construction of S-scheme heterojunctions with core–shell structure and photothermal effect for photocatalytic evolution hydrogen.