Electronic Bridge Research Articles

Tailoring interfacial interaction in GaN@NG heterojunction via electron/ion bridges for enhanced lithium-ion storage performance

In this paper, gallium nitride (GaN) nanoparticles is synthesized on the nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) (GaN@NG). X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) shows the distinct interfacial interaction (Ga–N/NC). This well-designed GaN@NG shows good reversible capacity (793.2 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g) and cycling durability with 98.5 % capacity retention at 2.0 A/g after 2000 cycles. Both DFT analysis and electrochemical kinetic analysis reveal that the configuration of intriguing electron and ion bridges is able to control and tailor the interfacial interaction via the interfacial coupled chemical bonds in GaN@NG heterojunction. Such electron/ion bridges can enhance the interfacial charge transfer kinetics and prevent pulverization/aggregation via the ion/electron channel during the cycling. As expected, the lithium-ion full cell (LiFePO4/C//GaN@NG) exhibits impressive energy and power densities and maintains superior cycling stability. This electron/ion bridges-related structural engineering strategy can open opportunities for the traditional electrode material to achieve the high-performance lithium ion storage and beyond.

PTB–INRIM comparison of novel digital impedance bridges with graphene impedance quantum standards

This paper describes an onsite comparison of two different digital impedance bridges when performing measurements on a quantum Hall resistance standard with the purpose of realizing the SI unit of capacitance, the farad. In the EMPIR Joint Research Project 18SIB07 GIQS, graphene impedance quantum standards, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany, developed a Josephson impedance bridge, and the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM) and the Politecnico di Torino (POLITO), Italy, developed an electronic digital impedance bridge. The former is based on Josephson waveform generators and the latter on an electronic waveform synthesizer. The INRIM–POLITO impedance bridge was moved to PTB and the two bridges were compared by measuring both temperature-controlled standards and a graphene AC quantized Hall resistance (QHR) standard. The uncertainties for the calibration of 10 nF capacitance standards at 1233 Hz are within 1 × 10−8 for the PTB’s bridge and around 1 × 10−7 for the INRIM–POLITO’s bridge. The comparison mutually validates the two bridges within the combined uncertainty. The result confirms that digital impedance bridges allow the realization of the SI farad from the QHR with uncertainties comparable with the best calibration capabilities of the BIPM and the major National Metrology Institutes.

Active sites modification and superior carriers separation synergistically boosted hydrogen production of Bi/Bi2MoO6/ZnIn2S4 non-noble metal S-scheme photocatalyst

Novel Bi/Bi2MoO6/ZnIn2S4 is not only cost-effective compared to noble metals, but also shows superior hydrogen production. Comprehensive characterization illustrated that the S-scheme heterojunction and excellent photon utilization capability of the photocatalyst were the main factors that enhanced its hydrogen production performance. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy illustrated the elemental composition of the catalyst and the presence of Bi metal in ternary heterojunction. The photoluminescence and electrochemical characterization proved that S-scheme heterojunction Bi/Bi2MoO6/ZnIn2S4 promoted the separation of photogenerated carriers. The amount of hydrogen produced by Bi/Bi2MoO6/ZnIn2S4 was 2306.90 µmol g−1 under visible light illumination for 5 h. It was 4.3, 29.6 and 2.2 times more than those of ZnIn2S4, Bi2MoO6/ZnIn2S4 and Pt/ZnIn2S4, respectively. The excellent hydrogen production activity of the ternary complexes may be attributed to the following: (1) Bi/Bi2MoO6 could replace precious metals to enhance reactive sites of ZnIn2S4. (2) Metal Bi could produce surface plasmon resonance effect facilitating light absorption, and Bi acted as an electron bridge promoting charge transfer. (3) The charge transfer mechanism of S-scheme heterojunction and hot electrons injection process of Bi metal synergistically drove the photocatalytic hydrogen production. This work provides an innovative method for the construction of visible-light-driven photocatalysts without using precious metals.

Efficient Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalytic Fuel Cell with a ZnIn2S4/UiO-66/TiO2/Ti Photoanode for Simultaneous RhB Degradation and Electricity Generation

In order to enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency of a photoanode and broaden its light absorption range, a ZnIn2S4/UiO-66/TiO2/Ti composite photoanode was developed. The maximum photocurrent density of the prepared photoanode is 2.56 mA cm−2 at 1.2 V (versus SCE), which is 1.79 times higher than that of ZnIn2S4/TiO2/Ti. The rhodamine B (RhB) removal rate, short-circuit current density and maximum power density of a photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) constructed with the ZnIn2S4/UiO-66/TiO2/Ti photoanode and a Cu cathode are 98.01%, 0.22 mA cm−2 and 16.97 μW cm−2 respectively. The enhancement of the PFC performance is mainly attributed to the extremely good energy band matching and nano-size interface contact between ZnIn2S4 and UiO-66. The existence of UiO-66 can be as an electronic transmission bridge, which not only facilitates the rapid transfer and utilization of photogenerated electrons, but also improves the adsorption ability of the photoanode for RhB molecules.

Grain boundaries passivation of high efficiency and stable perovskite photodetector by polyoxometalate-based composite SiW 11@ZIF-8

Polyoxometalates (POMs) can enable energy level tuning to match perovskite layers. They are considered electronic bridges to modify perovskite and improve the performance of photovoltaic devices. Therefore, in the present work, we dispersed the vacancy POMs K₈[α-SiW₁₁O₃₉]·H₂O ({SiW₁₁}) in the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to modify the perovskite layer. {SiW₁₁} could adjust the energy level between the layers of the perovskite photodetector. Moreover, the hydrogen bonds formed between SiW₁₁@ZIF-8 and perovskite effectively passivated the grain boundaries (GBs) of the perovskite layer. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) showed that the crystallinity of perovskite was significantly improved. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images demonstrated that the average size of perovskite grains increased from 254.50 to 719.27 nm, proving the effective passivation of the GBs. Furthermore, a series of tests such as infrared spectroscopy (IR), N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) also proved that {SiW₁₁} could be successfully loaded into the pores of ZIF-8 through electrostatic interactions. The photocurrent of the SiW₁₁@ZIF-8 doped device reached 41.95 μA, about three times as high as that of the blank device (14.41 μA). Also, under unencapsulated conditions, it could still maintain more than 90% stability for nearly 700 h. This work demonstrates the potential application of POM@MOF-type composites in the field of perovskite photodetectors.

Donor-acceptor organic polymer with sulfur bridge for superior photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CH4 under visible light illumination

Much progress has been made in the design and preparation of organic polymers for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. However, potocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CH4 using organic polymers is still a great difficulty due to poor CO2 adsorption/activation and eight electron transfer. A donor-acceptor (D-A) organic polymer (TOA-PC) was synthesized by combining cyclotriphosphazene (donor) with s-triazine (acceptor) via sulfur bridge. The photocatalytic activity of as-obtained polymers is remarkably dependent on the electron bridges between the donor and acceptor, effectively changing the photogenerated carrier mobility and CO2 adsorption/activation property of the polymers. When the electron bridge is sulfur atom, the TOA-PC exhibits a high CH4 yield of 2748 μmol g−1 (selectivity: near 100 %) under visible light irradiation without photosensitizers and cocatalysts, which represents the latest CH4-producing yield of photocatalysts. This study demonstrates that implantation of novel electron bridges in polymers is an effective way to enhance CH4 yields.

Boosted photocatalytic antibiotic degradation performance of Cd0.5Zn0.5S/carbon dots/Bi2WO6 S-scheme heterojunction with carbon dots as the electron bridge

Building high-performance and robust S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for sustainable pollutant abatement has been a prospective tactics to restore environment. Herein, Cd0.5Zn0.5S/carbon dots/Bi2WO6 (CZS/CDs/BWO) S-scheme heterojunctions have been designed and fabricated as an efficient and durable visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for tetracycline oxidation with 0.7-fold, 6.4-fold and 0.5-fold enhancement compared with neat CZS, BWO and CZS/BWO. The superb photo-activity is primarily derived from the synergy between carbon dots and S-scheme heterojunction, which not only effectively diminishes the interface resistance but also achieves the fostered disintegration and preservation of the photo-carriers with great redox ability. The impact of water conditions on the photo-activity is explored in view of the complexity of the authentic aquatic environment. The findings of the scavenging tests and ESR analysis evidence that h+, O2−, and OH may mainly drive the antibiotic decomposition, mineralization and detoxification reaction. The photoreaction mechanism and TC degradation pathway over CZS/CDs/BWO are unraveled according to LC–MS analysis. The intermediate toxicity assessment indicates that most of the degradation byproducts’ acute and developmental toxicities are abated to a markedly lower level than that of TC. Moreover, CZS/CDs/BWO also could effectively degrade other popular pharmaceutical antibiotics (e.g., levofloxacin, norfloxacin, oxytetracycline, and enrofloxacin), demonstrating its universal photocatalytic potency for the treatment of pharmaceutical antibiotics. This work illustrates the potential practicability on carbon dots modulated S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for efficient water remediation.

Formation of interfacial P-Ni-P coordination to boost charge transfer of polymeric carbon nitride for enhanced photocatalytic activity of H2 evolution

Constructing composite semiconductor photocatalysts with intimate interfacial contact is crucial for efficient charge separation and surface reaction kinetics towards enhancing hydrogen evolution via photocatalytic water splitting. In this work, an in-situ interfacial P-Ni-P coordination strategy for band modulation and interfacial engineering of the Ni2P/P-PCN system is reported based on interstitial doping P and coupled Ni2P cocatalysts. As a non-noble metal composite catalyst, Ni2P/P-PCN displayed a photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 1250 μmol h−1 g−1, which was 1.4 times higher than that of Pt/P-PCN. The experimental characterization and theoretical calculation results showed that P dopant atoms at the P-PCN interface were coupled with Ni2P via interfacial P-Ni-P bonds. These acted as electron bridges that provided electron transfer channels at the interface, which greatly improved the interfacial compatibility between P-PCN and Ni2P. Combinedly, these effects promoted the rapid separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers. Thus, Ni2P/P-PCN can potentially replace Pt as a noble-metal-free cocatalyst for efficient synergistic HER under visible light irradiation.

DFT calculations of double vacancies MoS2 catalyzing water gas shift reaction: S vacancies as electron bridge promote electron transfer to H2O and CO molecules

The poor activity of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) basal plane is the key scientific problem to limit efficient hydrogen production. In this paper, MoS2 with single (VS-MoS2) and double sulfur vacancy (VS, S-MoS2) have been constructed and used for water gas shift reaction (WGSR). Results show that the adsorption energy of VS, S-MoS2 for CO molecule is −1.43 eV, which is 28.6 times and 1.1 times than original MoS2 and VS, S-MoS2, respectively. The energy barrier of the rate-determining step in the association mechanism of VS, S-MoS2 is 1.78 eV, which is 21% lower than pristine MoS2. S vacancies are active sites for CO and H2O adsorption. The delocalized electrons enrichment in S vacancies break the electron transfer barrier between the surface and molecules. Sulfur vacancies as medium make electrons continuously transferred to CO and H2O molecules.

Experimental Study of Digitizers Used in High-Precision Impedance Measurements

In the currently used primary impedance measuring systems, there is a need to compare standards with ratios different from 1:1, e.g., in order to transfer the value to multiples or submultiples of the basic quantity. Unfortunately, the commercial PXI sampling systems used to measure the voltage ratio in the impedance bridge, although they provide adequate resolution, show a considerable non-linearity of the measurement. This leads to significant error of the impedance ratio measurement. Experimental studies of commercial PXI digitizers used in primary impedance metrology are presented in the paper. The scope of the work includes presentation of the sampling measurement system hardware used in electronic synchronous impedance bridges and studies of the parameters that affect the applicability of PXI digitizers in high-precision measuring instruments. Nonlinearity errors of digitizers on boards NI PXI-4461 and NI PXI-4462 were measured and appropriate conclusions regarding possible corrections of the errors were drawn.

Photocatalytic carbon hybrids for the elimination of diverse pollutants under visible light:Performances, influencing factors and insight into the novel mechanism

Carbon-based composites are widely used in water treatment, especially for adsorption and photocatalysis functional materials. Active sites introduced by doping process often play an important role in eliminating pollutants. Regrettably, the existing forms of active sites and the corresponding mechanism in a composite structure are not clear in most cases. Herein, we developed a novel porous carbon hybrid (PCH) based on an expanded graphite framework with TiO2/g-C3N4 and metal (Ag, Bi and Ni)-N co-doping. The PCH with optimized photocatalytic components displays remarkable performances for the removal of different pollutants (harmful algae: 95.2%, MC-LR: 88.1% and 2,4-DCP: 79.8%) with an efficient adsorption-photocatalysis process, which is approximately twice of the pristine PCH. Interestingly, it has been found that the metal doping not only introduced active sites in the TiO2/g-C3N4 part, but also formed active sites with graphene-based substrate. The metal-derived double-sites property of PCH composites can induce an electron bridge effect which can boost the electron transport in the composites, thus improving the efficiency of pollutant elimination under visible light irradiation.

A novel strategy to construct a direct Z-Scheme Bi@Bi2O2CO3/g-C3N4 heterojunction catalyst via PDA electronic bridge

A novel strategy was employed to construct Z-Scheme Bi@Bi2O2CO3/PDA/g-C3N4 (BPCN) heterojunction through polydopamine (PDA) modification of g-C3N4 followed by deposition of Bi2O2CO3 component to efficiently remove tetracycline (TC) from water, in which PDA served as the electron transfer bridge and reductant for Bi reduction. The surface plasma resonance (SPR) effect of Bi nanoparticles and conjugated π structure shared between PDA and g-C3N4 can delocalize π-π* electrons thus promote the transport of carriers synergistically. The 10% BPCN catalysts showed much higher photocatalytic activities than single Bi2O2CO3, g-C3N4, and dual PDA/g-C3N4. The phase structure, morphology features, optical absorption and photoelectrochemical properties of BPCN were investigated in depth. Furthermore, the possible TC degradation pathway has been established based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis, and the acute toxicity LD50 of rat, bioconcentration factor, developmental toxicity and mutagenicity of TC and its degraded intermediates were evaluated based on quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR).

A One-Step Electrochemical Aptasensor Based on Signal Amplification of Metallo Nanoenzyme Particles for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor.

In this study, a one-step electrochemical aptasensor was developed to detect the biomarker vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an important protein in the pathogenesis of many retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and retinal vein occlusion. The aptamer has a good affinity and can rapidly identify and capture VEGF based on its unique structure. We designed a VEGF aptasensor based on the aptamer recognition and complex metallo nanoenzyme particles as an electron exchange center and bridge between capture DNA and electrode. The aptamers maintained the hairpin structure to avoid nonspecific surface adsorption and expose the capture sequence outwards when the target was inexistent. Conversely, the aptamers opened the hairpin structure to release space to accomplish binding between VEGF and DNA, resulting in increased impedance. The performance of the electrochemical aptasensor is detected by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The limit of detection by EIS was as low as 8.2 pg ml−1, and the linear range was 10 pg ml−1–1 μg ml−1. The electrochemical aptasensor also showed high specificity and reproducibility.

In-situ electronic structure redistribution tuning of single-atom Mn/g-C3N4 catalyst to trap atomic-scale lead(II) for highly stable and accurate electroanalysis

Constructing catalysts with simple structures, uniform effective sites, and excellent performance is crucial for understanding the reaction mechanism of target pollutants. Herein, the single-atom catalyst of Mn-intercalated graphitic carbon nitride (Mn/g-C3N4) was prepared. It was found that the intercalated Mn atoms acted as strong electron donors to effectively tune the electronic structure distribution of the in-situ N atoms, providing a large number of negative potential atomic-scale sites for catalytic reactions. In the detection, the in-situ N atom established an electron bridge for the transient electrostatic trapping of free Pb(II), which induced Pb-N-Mn coordination bonding. Even in g-C3N4-loaded Mn nanoparticles, the N atom was again confirmed to be the interaction site for coupling with Pb. And the MnII-N4-C/MnIV-N4-C cycle actively participated in the electrocatalysis of Pb(II) was confirmed. Moreover, Mn/g-C3N4 achieved highly stable and accurate detection for Pb(II) with a sensitivity of 2714.47 µA·µM−1·cm−2. And excellent reproducibility and specific detection of real water samples made the electrode practical. This study contributes to understanding the changes in the electronic structure of chemically inert substrates after single-atom intercalation and the interaction between contaminants and the microstructure of sensitive materials, providing a guiding strategy for designing highly active electrocatalytic interfaces for accurate electroanalysis.

Bridging between NiAl-LDH and g-C3N4 by using carbon quantum dots for highly enhanced photoreduction of CO2 into CO

A series of treble NiAl-LDH/g-C3N4/carbon quantum dots (LDH/CN/CQDs) photocatalysts is successfully prepared for the photoreduction of CO2 to CO via a facile hydrothermal pathway. In the 3D flower-like LDH/CN/CQDs, CQDs not only achieve the efficient inhibition of charge recombination but also act as the unhindered “electronic bridges” to synergistically construct a classical type-Ⅱ charge transfer configuration, which synchronously permits the effluence of photogenerated electrons from CN to LDH and holes from LDH to CN, and promotes ultraviolet–visible irradiation respondence. The sample of LDH/CN/CQDs-6 is the optimal one amongst the LDH/CN/CQDs with a larger special surface area (98.43 m2g−1) and an appropriate content of CQDs (66.9 wt%), exhibiting the highest CO evolution rate (5.2 μmol·g−1·h−1) under visible light irradiation without any sacrificial agent or photosensitizer in water. This is 26.8- and 20.9-fold higher than those of the pristine LDH, pure CN, and their binary counterparts, respectively, and also outperforms most reported LDH-based photocatalysts. As unhindered electron conduction bridges, the highly dispersed CQDs in the LDH/CN heterojunction significantly increase utilization efficiency of light energy and separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. This work provides a beneficial attempt to integrate CQDs with LDH/CN for the positive synergetic effect on both photoelectric properties and electron transfer to obtain highly enhanced photocatalytic activity of CO2 into CO, and expected to be extended towards broader photocatalytic applications.

Gas sensing performances of commercial carbon fibers functionalized by NiO/SnO2 composite

Commercial carbon fibers (CFs) were functionalized with NiO/SnO2 composite powders via a simple liquid phase deposition method followed by heat treatment and the influences of CFs content on the micro-structure and gas sensing performances of the CFs/NiO/SnO2 gas sensor were investigated. The results indicate that the distinctive one-dimensional CFs overlapped with each other, forming a large number of pores inside the CFs/NiO/SnO2 composite, which increases the effective reaction area between sensitive materials and target gases greatly. The CFs/NiO/SnO2 gas sensor with 0.5 wt% CFs exhibits a good sensitivity, selectivity and excellence response-recovery characteristic to formaldehyde at lower operation temperature of 170 °C. Notably, the detectable concentration of HCHO is as low as 1 ppm, indicating a certain application prospect in formaldehyde detection. And the electronic transmission bridge mechanism is performed to explain the gas sensing mechanism, which plays a certain role in the functional application of CF.

Hydrochar-mediated photocatalyst Fe3O4/BiOBr@HC for highly efficient carbamazepine degradation under visible LED light irradiation

• Hydrochar-mediated Fe 3 O 4 /BiOBr@HC was synthesized by a hydrolysis method. • Efficient carbamazepine removal benefited from synergistic effect of Fe 3 O 4 and HC. • Faster charge separation and more active species generation occurred with help of HC. • Active species include superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and photogenerated holes. • Three degradation pathways were proposed to indirectly verify the role of active species. Construction of composite photocatalysts with high charge transfer efficiency and fast surface catalytic reaction has recently gained huge interest. In this work, a hydrochar microsphere-mediated photocatalyst Fe 3 O 4 /BiOBr@HC with rapid surface catalytic reaction and electron transfer was fabricated. Under visible-LED-light irradiation, removal of refractory analgesic carbamazepine (CBZ) and total organic carbon (TOC) reached 100% and 67.41%, respectively, by Fe 3 O 4 /BiOBr@HC20% within 40 min, demonstrating the excellent photocatalytic activity compared to other photocatalysts. The narrower band gap (2.02 eV) of Fe 3 O 4 /BiOBr@HC obviously improved the visible light absorption. The hydrochar with abundant surface oxygen functional groups provided more active oxygen species ·O 2 – (4.05 µM) and ·OH (107.8 nM), and acted as an electron bridge to promote the electron transfer of BiOBr and Fe 3 O 4 . Eleven main CBZ intermediates were identified and three degradation pathways were proposed to illustrate the contribution of superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and photogenerated holes to the photodegradation of CBZ. Furthermore, five-cycle reusing experiments revealed that Fe 3 O 4 /BiOBr@HC composite catalysts have excellent reusability and stability, indicating that they have a promising application future.

A Cu/CuFe2O4-OVs two-electron centre-based synergistic photocatalysis-Fenton system for efficient degradation of organic pollutants

To promote the separation of photogenerated carriers, break through the bottleneck of classical Fenton reaction, and achieve the efficient degradation of organic pollutants, a two-electron centre Cu/CuFe2O4 with oxygen vacancies (Cu/CuFe2O4-OVs)11Cu/CuFe2O4 with oxygen vacancies, Cu/CuFe2O4-OVs. was synthesised by citric acid complexation and ascorbic acid (Vc)22ascorbic acid, Vc.in-situ reduction. Under visible light irradiation, H2O2 was added to form a two-electron centre synergistic photocatalysis-Fenton degradation system that could degrade 100 ppm of phenol by 92.72% in 18 min. The degradation efficiency constant was 8165 and 4.35 times that of photocatalysis and Fenton oxidation, respectively. Such excellent degradation activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of the two-electron centre and photocatalysis-Fenton. Cu0 has two functions: (1) it acts as an electronic bridge of Fe and Cu in Fenton and accelerates the separation of photogenerated carriers; (2) it acts as the transfer channel of the two-electron centre. Oxygen vacancies are electron-rich centres that activate H2O2, while the electron-poor centre Cu(II) captures photogenerated electrons and phenol electrons. Quenching experiments and EPR results indicated that OH, O2− and h+ are the main active species. The synergistic degradation mechanism was proposed based on experiments and theoretical calculations. Through further optimization of the conditions and cyclic regeneration stability test, the system was extended to degrade different dyes, phenolic organic pollutants and coking wastewater.

Synthesis of Bis(N,N-diethyl)aniline-Based, Nonlinear, Optical Chromophores with Increased Electro-Optic Activity by Optimizing the Thiolated Isophorone Bridge

Six nonlinear, optical chromophores, Z1–Z6, based on the bis(N,N-diethyl)aniline-derived donor and thiolated isophorone bridge, were designed and synthesized. The bis(N,N-diethyl)aniline-derived donor was applied in a chromophore with thiolated isophorone as an electron bridge for the first time. In particular, the bridge parts of chromophores Z2–Z6 were modified with different functional groups, including tert-butyltrimethylsilane and tert-butyl(methyl)diphenylsilane derivative: 1,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene and alkylaniline cyanoacetate, respectively. Density functional theory calculations suggested this series of chromophores show much greater hyperpolarizability than traditional, nonlinear, optical chromophores due to strong electron donor ability. These chromophores, Z1–Z6, showed very high poling efficiencies due to the large steric hindrance and hyperpolarizability of the chromophores. A large poling efficiency (2.04 ± 0.08 nm2/V2) and r33 value (193 pm/V) were achieved for polymeric thin films doped with 25 wt% chromophore Z6 at 1310 nm.

Fabrication of novel ZnTe-based photocatalyst: Synergistic effect of dye sensitization and bridge engineering for boosting hydrogen evolution over ZnTe

Herein, a novel ZnTe-based photocatalyst is successfully synthesized via a facile combination of water-bath and hydrothermal processes. Morphology characterization and X-ray diffraction analysis reveal that ZnTe presents irregular granular shape and cubic crystal structure. Moreover, Mott-Schottky measurement shows that the conduction band potential of ZnTe is −0.84 V (vs NHE). With Eosin Y (EY) sensitization, ZnTe exhibits superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity (223.5 μmol g−1 h−1). Meanwhile, WC-ZnTe heterojunction is constructed by depositing ZnTe nanoparticles on bulk WC and obtains the optimal H2 generation rate (559.1 μmol g−1 h−1) under EY sensitization. Electrochemical and photoluminescence results further prove that WC as electron bridge could reduce the interfacial resistance and suppress e−-h+ pairs recombination. This study explores the potential application of ZnTe as a newly active photocatalyst in photocatalytic water splitting, and emphasizes the synergistic effect of dye sensitization and bridge engineering.