Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production using TiO2 nanoflower photocatalysts loaded with Zn-Cu-In-Se quantum dots

Abstract

Herein, a unique Zn-Cu-In-Se@TiO2 (ZCIS@TiO2) composite photocatalyst was constructed by incorporating the narrow-band-gap and zero-dimensional (0D) ZCIS quantum dots (QDs) on the surface of three-dimensional (3D) TiO2 nanoflowers. The 3D TiO2 nanoflowers with highly exposed high-energy {001} facets possess the abundant specific surface area and active sites, which are conducive to the efficient loading of ZCIS QDs, thereby markedly enhancing the light absorption ability and generating more photo-generated carriers. On this basis, the construction of high-quality ZCIS@TiO2 heterojunctions can promote the interfacial charge transport, and then improve the separation efficiency of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. Consequently, the ZCIS@TiO2 composite photocatalysts exhibited outstanding capabilities in hydrogen production through photocatalysis. The average photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of ZCIS@TiO2 composites can reach a maximum of 719.28 μmol h−1 g−1, which is 33 times higher than that of pure TiO2 nanoflowers.