Spatially Separating Redox Centers on Z-Scheme ZnIn2 S4 /BiVO4 Hierarchical Heterostructure for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Abstract

Photocatalysis technology using solar energy for hydrogen (H2 ) production still faces great challenges to design and synthesize highly efficient photocatalysts, which should realize the precise regulation of reactive sites, rapid migration of photoinduced carriers and strong visible light harvest. Here, a facile hierarchical Z-scheme system with ZnIn2 S4 /BiVO4 heterojunction is proposed, which can precisely regulate redox centers at the ZnIn2 S4 /BiVO4 hetero-interface by accelerating the separation and migration of photoinduced charges, and then enhance the oxidation and reduction ability of holes and electrons, respectively. Therefore, the ZnIn2 S4 /BiVO4 heterojunction exhibits excellent photocatalytic performance with a much higher H2 -evolution rate of 5.944 mmol g-1 h-1 , which is about five times higher than that of pure ZnIn2 S4 . Moreover, this heterojunction shows good stability and recycle ability, providing a promising photocatalyst for efficient H2 production and a new strategy for the manufacture of remarkable photocatalytic materials.