Binary Photocatalysts Research Articles

TiO2/CPAN-AO heterojunction in-situ grow on carbonized melamine sponge for photocatalytic reduction of uranium (VI)

Extraction of uranium from seawater is of great significance to the development of nuclear energy. Photocatalytic reduction technology offers an innovative solution for the uranium recovery. However, traditional photocatalysts in powder form are limited by recyclable issue. Herein, a constructed novel composite sponge with TiO2/CPAN-AO binary photocatalyst that improved performance in uranium recovery from seawater on account of its exceptional photocatalytic performance, high selectivity, and recyclability. In addition, a new adsorption system called "Diffusion-Capture-Anchoring" was developed for photocatalytic reduction of uranyl ions. The removal rate of uranium within 105 min was 98%, when the initial uranium concentration was 100 mg/L. The selectivity and specificity of the material for uranium were established by the addition of interfering cations. Antimicrobial experiment proved that a great inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Pseudoalteromonas xiamenensis (P. xiamenensis). More importantly, the excellent recycling property of the CS/TiO2/CPAN-AO was tested via the ten cycles of experiment. As an efficient and recyclable adsorbent, the CS/TiO2/CPAN-AO composite sponge demonstrates great potential for extracting uranium from the seawater.

One-step synthesis of highly active cotton floc like ZnO–BiOI: Visible-light photocatalytic performance, recovery and degradation mechanism

As a new technology for wastewater treatment and new energy development, semiconductor photocatalysis technology has been widely studied in recent year. In this study, a series of ZnO–BiOI (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:3, 2:1, 2:3, 3:1, 3:2) binary composite photocatalysts were synthesized by one-step solvothermal method. XRD, SEM, TEM, HR-TEM, UV–vis DRS and PL characterization methods were used to analyze the physicochemical properties. Compared with pure ZnO, the band gap of ZnO–BiOI composite was narrower, the light absorption ability was enhanced, and the photogenerated electron-hole recombination probability was reduced. Among all the samples, ZnO–BiOI (3:2) had the best activity to degrade RhB, and the degradation rate reached 98% after 240 min under visible light, and the first-order reaction rate constant was 34.8 times that of pure BiOI. In addition, ZnO–BiOI (3:2) showed good stability in the cycle experiment. The interfacial electric field was formed in the photocatalytic process of ZnO–BiOI (3:2), which promoted more photogenerated electron-holes to participate in the oxidation reaction. The degradation process of organic matter was mainly through the oxidation of ·O2− and h+.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Heterostructured g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 Nanocomposites for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants.

In this study, heterostructured g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 nanocomposites were successfully fabricated using an easily accessible hydrothermal route. Various analytical tools were employed to investigate the surface morphology, crystal structure, specific surface area, and optical properties of as-synthesized samples. XRD and TEM characterization results provided evidence of the successful fabrication of the ternary g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 heterostructured nanocomposite. The heterostructured g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 nanocomposite exhibited the best degradation efficiency of 98.04% against rhodamine B (RhB) within 180 min under visible LED light irradiation. The g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 nanocomposite exhibited an apparent reaction rate constant 13.16, 4.7, and 1.33 times higher than that of TiO2, Ag-TiO2, and g-C3N4, respectively. The g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 ternary composite demonstrated higher photocatalytic activity than pristine TiO2 and binary Ag-TiO2 photocatalysts for the degradation of RhB under visible LED light irradiation. The improved photocatalytic performance of the g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 nanocomposite can be attributed to the formation of an excellent heterostructure between TiO2 and g-C3N4 as well as the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles, which promoted efficient charge carrier separation and transfer and suppressed the rate of recombination. Therefore, this study presents the development of heterostructured g-C3N4/Ag-TiO2 nanocomposites that exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance for the efficient degradation of harmful organic pollutants in wastewater, making them promising candidates for environmental remediation.

2D V2O5 nanoflakes on 2D p-gC3N4 nanosheets of heterostructure photocatalysts with the enhanced photocatalytic activity of organic pollutants under direct sunlight

The demand for high-performing photocatalysts remains constant as photocatalytic techniques utilizing semiconductors are recognized as a highly effective means of purifying wastewater by eliminating various pollutants. Heterostructure binary nanocomposite photocatalysts possess the remarkable capability of absorbing solar light and effectively transmitting photocarriers, rendering them exceptionally efficient for diverse applications. This manuscript reports the synthesis of V2O5 (VO) and protonated g-C3N4 (PCN) nanocomposite by sol-gel method. The impact of protonated g-C3N4 on the nanocomposite (V2O5/protonated g-C3N4) was investigated by varying the different weight percentages [5% PCN/VO (PV1), 10% PCN/VO (PV2), and 15% PCN/VO (PV3)]. Several characterization techniques, including X-ray Diffraction (XRD),UV–VisDiffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (UV-DRS), Photoluminescence (PL), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, were employed systematically to examine the structural, optical, morphological, and chemical compositional properties of the synthesized nanocomposites, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of the pure and nanocomposites was thoroughly assessed by degrading methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation. TEM analysis confirms the intimate interface between VO and PCN in the heterostructure, facilitating efficient charge transfer. Additionally, UV analysis reveals an increased bandgap, indicating enhanced responsiveness to higher wavelength regions. In comparison to pure VO, the PV2 sample significantly increased its photocatalytic activity when exposed to direct sunlight, achieving a degradation efficiency of 97% with k = 0.024 min−1 in 100 min.

Visible-light-driven photocatalysis of carbon dioxide by BiSeX and BiSeX/g-C3N4 (X = Cl, Br, I)

The conversion of CO2 through photoreduction into renewable and sustainable solar fuels, such as alcohols and hydrocarbons, is an attractive approach for addressing environmental issues and energy crises. In this study, we successfully prepared a series of BiSeX (X = Cl, Br, I) photocatalysts by using a simple hydrothermal method that involves dissolving BiX3 and Se powder in toluene. The binary composite photocatalyst BiSeX/g-C3N4 was synthesized by mixing BiSeX with varying quantities of g-C3N4 to identify the optimal material for photocatalytic activity. The BiSeX/g-C3N4 photocatalyst converted CO2 into CH4, and the photocatalytic conversion rate of BiSeCl/50 wt% g-C3N4 was as high as 1.92 μmol/g·h. The optimized BiSeX/g-C3N4 photocatalysts exhibit gradual selective transition from CO2 to CH4 and eventually high-value hydrocarbons (C2+). Furthermore, because of the ability of these photocatalysts to reduce CO2, they are promising materials for mitigating environmental pollution.

Ultrathin 2D type-II heterojunctions ZCLDH/CN with a higher photocatalytic performance of ciprofloxacin under simulated light illumination

Novel incorporation of graphitic carbon nitride on zinc cobalt-layered double hydroxide (ZCLDH/CN-10) via a single-step hydrothermal treatment was carried out for photocatalytic activity. The fabrication of ZCLDH/CN-10 binary photocatalysts by in-suit growing ZCLDH on the surface of CN may improve the absorption range and separation of photogenerated carriers. The inclusion of ZCLDH and CN increases the charge separation of photo-generated and wide surface area, resulting in exceptional photocatalytic activity of ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation. As a result, under visible light the ZCLDH/CN-10 shows a better catalytic degradation efficiency of 98.3% within 120 min. Moreover, the ZCLDH/CN-10 has outstanding stability, with 90% efficiency retention after five consecutive cycles. The trapping tests show that hydroxide radicals (OH) and holes (h+) were the most important in the degrading processes.

Novel binary photocatalysts containing polyoxometalate immobilized on CdS nanorods surface for enhance photocatalytic performance

In this work, different types of Polyoxometalates (POMs), such as H3PW12O40, H3PMo12O40 and TBA [MnMo6] were successfully deposited on CdS nanorods (CdS-NRs) through electrostatic interaction between CdS-NRs and Polyoxometalate. The diffuse reflectance spectra after UV–visible results showed that the POMs enhanced the visible light absorption range of CdS-NRs, which ensured effective light absorption for composites. Photocurrent response results indicated that the carriers separation efficiency of composites had much higher than bare CdS-NRs. The prepared photocatalysts were further subjected for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and around 98% of dye has been removed from the system. The Radical trapping experiments further clarify that that h+ and O2− are the major factors in photocatalytic pollutant degradation. To investigate the stability, POM loaded CdS-NRs composite was repeated four times for photocatalysis, which shows high efficiency till fourth cycle. The aforesaid results indicate that, POMs on the surface of CdS-NRs materials effectively enhance the photocatalytic performance and CdS-NRs provide a suitable support for POMs to modify them for heterogeneous catalysis. This work opens a new and feasible pathway to design the heterostructure photocatalysts using POMs and sulfides for high-efficiency environmental purification.

Dissimilar dimensional materials based tailored heterostructures for photocatalytic hydrogen production

In the quest of developing sustainable fuels for future, sunlight and water enabled hydrogen (H2) production has been looked as the most ideal strategy to impart clean and sustainable energy solution. Being main propelling vector in H2 production technology via water splitting, the nanoscale design of binary or tertiary heterostructured photocatalysts based on dissimilar dimensional materials (DDM) are gaining increasing popularity as they inherits the respective advantages of their counterparts. The 2-dimensional (2D) materials, as a formidable component in DDMs, has shown significant boost in the H2 production efficiency owing to their large surface areas which helps in facilitating charge transportation, immobilizing catalysts while preventing agglomeration and re-stacking. The xD-2D based single heterojunction (x = 0D, 1D, 2D and 3D) and double heterojunction (x = 0D/0D, 0D/1D, 0D/2D and 2D/2D) extends from the combined efforts of distinct growth genres between xD and 2D nanostructures and the acute control over tailored xD-2D interface. In the need of hours for achieving scalable H2 production, it becomes utmost necessary to understand physics and chemistry of interfaces in the xD-2D heterostructured photocatalysts. This comprehensive review encapsulates the key developments in very recent synthesis protocols for H2 production via application of DDM based heterogeneous photocatalysts and also proposes the challenges and prospects of futuristic H2 economy. It is anticipated that this review will present a broad canvas in terms of highlighting the merits/demerits of prominent synthesis strategies and underlying morphological challenges in designing heterostructures, while the enriched information will be useful for developing more efficient photocatalysts.

Construction of CoMoO4/g-C3N4 binary heterojunction photocatalyst with improving photocatalytic performance for ciprofloxacin under visible light

Construction of CoMoO4/g-C3N4 binary heterojunction photocatalyst with improving photocatalytic performance for ciprofloxacin under visible light

Preparation of direct Z-scheme Bi2WO6/TiO2 heterojunction by one-step solvothermal method and enhancement mechanism of photocatalytic H2 production

Direct Z-scheme Bi2WO6/TiO2 heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared by one-step solvothermal method. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, TEM, XPS, UV–Vis DRS, photoluminescence spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical studies. The photocatalytic hydrogen production experiments show that Bi2WO6 did not generate H2 and the H2-production rate of TiO2 is only 0.1 mmol⋅g−1h−1. The hydrogen production rate of the Bi2WO6/TiO2 heterojunction photocatalyst reaches 12.9 mmol⋅g−1h−1, which is 129 times that of TiO2. Compared with TiO2, the enhanced H2-production activity of the heterojunction catalyst can be attributed to the wider light absorption range and the efficient separation and migration of carriers at the close contact interface between Bi2WO6 and TiO2. Based on the work functions of Bi2WO6, TiO2 and their heterojunctions, combined with the results of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky measurements, the photocatalytic H2 production mechanism of Z-scheme heterojunction Bi2WO6/TiO2 was proposed. This work provides an easy and simple way to design a binary Z-scheme photocatalyst with efficient catalytic H2-production activity without electron mediators.

Robust construction of CdSe nanorods@Ti3C2 MXene nanosheet for superior photocatalytic H2 evolution

With energy shortage and environmental pollution, photocatalytic hydrogen production is one of the most important ways to convert solar energy into chemical energy, and its key technology lies in the development of efficient, highly stable and low-cost photocatalysts. In this study, binary heterojunction photocatalysts consisting of CdSe nanorods and Ti3C2 MXene nanosheet were constructed via a one-step in situ hydrothermal method. When the content of Ti3C2 MXene was 10 wt%, a maximum photocatalytic H2 production rate of 763.2 μmol g−1 h−1 was achieved, which was 6 times higher than that of pure CdSe and no noticeable decline of the photocatalytic activity was observed after five recycling cycles. Based on XPS, UPS, in-situ XPS, KPFM, DFT theoretical calculations and photocatalytic experiments, the mechanism of charge transfer and photocatalytic hydrogen production in CdSe-MXene composites were proposed. This work not only presents the potential of earth-abundant MXene materials in the construction of high efficiency and low-cost photocatalysts for hydrogen production, but also opens avenues to fabricate more MXene-based composites for solar energy conversion.

Preparation and characterization of a novel cobalt-substitution cadmium aluminate spinel for the photodegradation of azo dye pollutants

Modern-year organic contaminants have been highly observed in ecosystems since they are not removed entirely and remain dangerous. Semiconductor binary oxide photocatalysts have been well accredited as capable technology for ecological contaminants degradation in the existence of visible irradiation. In this research, novel Co ions doped CdAl2O4 materials were fabricated by a facile co-precipitation approach. The fabricated pure and Co-doped CdAl2O4 exhibited the typical peaks of CdAl2O4 with the Eg of 3.66, 3.24, 2.57, and 2.41 eV respectively. The HR-TEM microstructures revealed that the Co (0.075 M) doped CdAl2O4 has rod-like morphology, and some places are spherical with particle sizes reaching 21 nm. The PL peaks of the Co (0.075 M)-CdAl2O4 are much lesser than that of the other dopant and pure CdAl2O4, representing much more effectual separation of generated e− and h+ at the interface which in fact outcomes in superior expected photodegradation behaviours. The Co (0.075 M)-CdAl2O4 catalyst demonstrated the highest performances of 92 and 94% toward the degradation of both dyes, respectively, owing to the lowest e− and h+ recombination rate. The Co (0.075 M) doped CdAl2O4 photocatalyst revealed outstanding reusability and stability under visible irradiation, retaining the performance of about 83 and 86% after the fifth consecutive run of BB and BG elimination. A probable photodegradation mechanism of Co (0.075 M) doped CdAl2O4 was suggested since the photoexcited h+, OH− and O2− species contributed to the removal process, and that was affirmed by the scavenging test and ESR analysis. This research offers new ways to improve the photodegradation performance of the Co-doped CdAl2O4 catalyst that will be employed in pharmaceutical applications and wastewater treatment.

Constructing trinary heterostructure of TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 to enhance photocatalytic activity toward degradation of yellow 28 dye

Today, the design of efficient visible light-driven photocatalytic systems for the degradation of organic dyes is of great interest in human health and environmental protection. Constructing heterostructured nanocomposites using coupling metal oxide semiconductors with visible-light-responsive photocatalytic materials is an effective strategy to improve the photocatalytic potential. For this purpose, a trinary TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 heterostructured photocatalyst with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity was fabricated using the intimate interfacial contact of TiO2/SrTiO3 nanotubes with CoCr2O4 nanoparticles. Compared with single or binary photocatalysts, trinary TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 nanocomposite demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity and cycling stability in the degradation of basic yellow 28 (BY28) dye under visible-light irradiation. The optimal TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 nanocomposite degraded almost 99% of BY28 under visible light in 2 h, compared to approximately 37%, 66%, and 71% for the SrTiO3 nanorods, CoCr2O4 nanoparticles, and TiO2 nanotubes, respectively. This superior photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of elevated photon absorption, charge transfer, and efficient charge separation. In addition, the probable mechanism for the degradation of BY28 dye over TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 nanocomposite is also elucidated using PL and active species scavenger studies.

Synthesis and Characterization of CeO2/Ag3PO4 p-n Heterojunction Photocatalyst: Its Photocatalytic Activity for the Degradation of Alizarin Yellow Dye

Novel single and binary photocatalysts were synthesized by coprecipitation method. The crystal structure, surface area, morphology, bandgap energy, functional groups, and optical properties were characterized using XRD, BET, SEM-EDX, UV/vis, FTIR, and PL instruments, respectively. Aqueous solutions of the model contaminant alizarin yellow (AY) dye and real wastewater sample solutions were used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of single and binary nanocomposite. We found that the photocatalytic activity of CeO2/Ag3PO4 binary nanocomposite is higher than that of their individual counterparts. We investigated the effects of operating parameters such as pH, initial dye concentration, and photocatalytic loading on AY dye degradation. Under optimal conditions, the binary system showed an efficiency of 96.99%. The binary photocatalyst showed relatively higher AY photolysis efficiencies than actual wastewater, about 96.56% and 57.76%, respectively. The actions of various scavengers suggest that ·O2 and ·OH scavengers play an important role in AY decomposition. When the reusability of the photocatalyst was tested, only a reduction of about 20% was observed after four consecutive runs. The degradation of AY follows pseudo-first-order kinetics for newly synthesized nanocomposite. This result indicates that the binary nanocomposite can serve as an excellent medium for electron transport.

Synthesis of novel Type-II MnNb2O6/g-C3N4 Mott-Schottky heterojunction photocatalyst: Excellent photocatalytic performance and degradation mechanism of fluoroquinolone-based antibiotics

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics have been encountered in aquatic environments in quantities giving rise to significant concern recently. To cope with this problem, it is necessary to design a semiconductor photocatalyst having excellent photocatalytic efficiency to eliminate the antibiotics. The heterojunction is a likely situate where the efficiency of relevant photocatalyst can be strengthened. In this study, the performance of MnNb2O6/g-C3N4 (MNO/g-CN) composites in the photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tetracycline-HCl (TCH) antibiotics was explored. Enhanced photocatalytic activity of MNO/g-CN was found to be owing to electron's shifting between the MNO, and g-CN sheets, which promotes the formation of photo-generated e⁻/h⁺ pairs. This shows a low-waste, high-performance material exists to eradicate CIP and TCH from wastewater. Further, the structural, photochemical and light interacted properties of the MNO/g-CN photocatalyst, prepared by solvothermal method and sonication, were described using photochemical, physiochemical and electrochemical approaches. The synthesized photocatalyst owes its particular efficiency to its methodical photo-degradation of CIP and TC using visible light. The optimum composite 15% MNO/g-CN evinced the greatest photocatalytic efficiency with CIP and TCH photo-degradation of 94.10%, and 98.50%, respectively, and degradation mechanism were investigated using LC-MS spectroscopy. The suitable photocatalytic activity is ascribed to lower the recombination's rate of e⁻/h⁺ pairs. The scavenging evaluations proved that the h+ and •O2− were two major photoactive species accomplishing the CIP and TCH photodegradation over MNO/g-CN under visible region. Our findings pave the way for the construction of efficient binary photocatalysts for antibiotic restitution.

In-situ synthesis of novel dual S-scheme AgI/Ag6Mo7O24/g-C3N4 heterojunctions with tandem structure for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

The controllable design of multivariate heterojunction with sequential structures is of significant relevance for breaking the performance limit of binary composite photocatalysts. In this work, the novel dual S-scheme ternary-component AgI/Ag6Mo7O24/exfoliated g-C3N4 (ECN) composite was prepared by a two-step in-situ synthetic strategy. The energy band bending at the heterointerface and the formation of dual built-in electric field could be observed due to distinct work functions of different components in the ternary composite. Benefiting from the sequential heterojunction structure, the AgI/Ag6Mo7O24/ECN composite achieved 98.7% removal efficiency of 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) within 70 min under visible light irradiation, and AgI/Ag6Mo7O24/ECN also showed higher degradation efficiency for a variety of organic pollutants such as methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange (MO), 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), 2-sec-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol (DNBP) and tetracycline (TC). Notably, •OH and •O2− played dominant roles in the AgI/Ag6Mo7O24/ECN set up, which was consistent with the dual S-scheme charge transfer mechanism. In-depth insights for the photodegradation of 2-NP were presented based on a combined DFT study and GC-MS analysis. Additionally, the photoreduction of Ag+ in AgI/Ag6Mo7O24/ECN was also evaded by the fast transfer of photogenerated electrons through the dual S-scheme pathway, achieving the effect of killing two birds with one stone.

A mechanistic study of the photocatalytic activity of AgI–WO3 in an experimentally designed approach toward methylene blue photodegradation

The visible light-active AgI/WO3 binary photocatalyst has been characterized using XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, cyclic voltammetry (CV), photoluminescence (PL), and UV–vis DRS techniques.

Creation of an internal electric field in SnO2@ZnS-ZnSn(OH)6 dual-type-II heterojunctions for efficient NO photo-oxidation

Well-designed heterojunction photocatalysts are promising high-performance materials, effective in inducing charge transfer to achieve a particular migration path and long-lasting carriers. However, the traditional binary heterojunction photocatalysts still show low-efficiency charge separation. Herein, we report a direct dual-type-II SnO2@ZnS-ZHS (ZHS = ZnSn(OH)6) ternary heterojunction, obtained by a facile in-situ face-to-face growth approach. Experimental results and density functional theory calculations reveal that the carrier dynamics of SnO2@ZnS-ZHS, with dual-type-II mechanisms, enables the photogenerated holes (h+) of SnO2 to migrate to the valence bands of ZHS and ZnS. This ensures that SnO2@ZnS-ZHS has twice as much oxidizing potential to produce enough hydroxyl radicals (·OH) to participate in NO oxidation reactions. With a unique dual-type-II ternary structure, SnO2@ZnS-ZHS shows the highest NO removal rate (44.5%) after 30 min, which is 23.5, 29.7 and 15.9 times higher than the values shown by the single components ZHS, SnO2 and ZnS, respectively. A reaction mechanism is proposed. The improved photocatalytic activity shows the advantages of the SnO2@ZnS-ZHS heterostructure as a promising candidate for ternary heterojunction design.

Synergistic effect of binary metal doping and nanotechnology to boost the light-harvesting properties of rare earth metal oxide

Material scientists are currently focusing on employing photocatalytic materials to detoxify household and industrial waste to tackle rising water pollution problems. Narrow-bandgap materials are more valuable than other photocatalysts due to their visible light-harvesting characteristics. In this research, binary metal-doped cerium oxide (3 mol % Cd, 5 mol % Zn–CeO2 = CZC-1 and 5 mol % Cd, 3 mol % Zn–CeO2 = CZC-2) photocatalysts were successfully prepared through the facile and affordable co-precipitation method. The crystal structure, chemical functionality, morphology, composition, and optical behavior of the as-prepared binary metal-doped cerium oxide samples were explored via advanced physiochemical techniques. UV–Vis spectroscopy revealed that the CZC-2 photocatalyst possessed a relatively lower bandgap (2.15 eV) than the counterpart (CZC-1); hence it could be used as a visible-light triggered catalyst. The binary metal-doped photocatalyst's dye and microbe degradation efficacies were compared using methylene blue and P. Vulgaris, respectively. The CZC-2 photocatalyst showed superior dye degradation activity and mineralized almost 97% dye after 60 min irradiation time. Even after five reuse cycles, the recyclability tests showed that the catalytic efficiency of CZC-2 NPs only dropped by 4.5%. The CZC-2 photocatalyst's high photocatalytic activity and long-term stability show that the CZC-2 nanoarchitecture can be used in practical ways to clean up the environment.

Decorating ZnS by ZnIn2S4 to fabricate hybrid photocatalyst ZnIn2S4/ZnS for high photocatalytic hydrogen generation performance

The ZnIn2S4/ZnS (ZIS/ZnS) binary hybrid photocatalysts were fabricated by modifying ZnS with ZnIn2S4 employing the facile hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution was carried out to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the as-obtained samples. The results indicated that the 5 %ZIS/ZnS exhibits the best photocatalytic performance with a hydrogen generation rate of 8502 μmol g−1h−1. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the introduction of ZnIn2S4, whose unique optimized structures, electronic structures and charge mobility and separation are in favor of the light-harvesting ability and separation and transfer of charge carriers.