ZnO Heterojunction Research Articles

Waterproof and Flexible Perovskite Photodetector Enabled By P-type Organic Molecular Rubrene with High Moisture and Mechanical Stability.

Metal halide perovskite films have gained significant attention because of their remarkable optoelectronic performances. However, their poor stability upon the severe environment appears to be one of the main facets that impedes their further commercial applications. Herein, a method to improve the stability of flexible photodetectors under water and humidity environment without encapsulation is reported. The devices are fabricated using the physical vapor deposition method (Pulse Laser Deposition & Thermal Evaporation) under high-vacuum conditions. An amorphous organic Rubrene film with low molecular polarity and high elastic modulus serves as both a protective layer and hole transport layer. After immersed in water for 6000min, the photoluminescence intensity attenuation of films only decreased by a maximum of 10%. The demonstrator device, based on Rubrene/CsPbBr3/ZnO heterojunction confirms that the strategy not only enhances device moisture and mechanical stability but also achieves high sensitivity in optoelectronic detection. In self-powered mode, it has a fast response time of 79.4 µs /207.6 µs and a responsivity 124mAW-1. Additionally, the absence of encapsulation simplifies the fabrication of complex electrodes, making it suitable for various applications. This study highlights the potential use of amorphous organic films in improving the stability of perovskite-based flexible devices.

Piezo-phototronic effect modulated optoelectronic artificial synapse based on a-Ga2O3/ZnO heterojunction

Amorphous gallium oxide (a-Ga2O3) based optoelectronic devices responds to deep ultraviolet (DUV), which triggers their potential applications for simulating biological vision system. However, there is still lack of research on the influence of multiple stimuli on regulating synaptic plasticity in artificial synapse. Herein, we reported a flexible a-Ga2O3/ZnO film heterostructure with tunable DUV photoresponse, serving as a promising platform for artificial optoelectronic synapse. Based on persistent photoconductivity effect under 265 nm illumination, basic synaptic functions have been mimicked. Notably, the strain-induced piezo-phototronic effect of the heterojunction enables the modulation of synaptic plasticity, playing a role analogous to neuromodulator interaction with biological synapse activity. Strain-evoked an additional degree of freedom controls synapse weight-update rate during learning process and synapse weight-decay during forgetting process. The underlying mechanism is attributed to energy band bending tailored by strain-induced piezo-potential that determines carrier separation/transport and the recombination reaction of ionized oxygen vacancy. The recognition accuracy of MNIST images is as high as 92.31% in the artificial neural network constructed by the heterojunction devices. This work not only exhibits the application prospect of ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor-based heterojunction in artificial optoelectronic synapse, but also opens up a new avenue for multiple stimuli modulating synaptic plasticity.

Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline using surface defective black TiO2–ZnO heterojunction photocatalyst under visible light

Fabrication of heterojunction and surface defective engineering, through the formation of oxygen vacancies, are among the various photocatalytic enhancement techniques. A combination of these techniques has the prospect of enhancing photocatalytic activities through improved light absorption capabilities and charge separation process of the photocatalysts. In this study, a heterojunction of black titanium oxide-zinc oxide (BTiO2–ZnO) nanocomposite was synthesized using the conventional sol-gel approach, coupled with aluminum foil-assisted NaBH4 reduction. The structure, morphology, surface properties, and optical characteristics of the synthesized material were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis absorption spectra, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The XRD confirmed the successful formation of BTiO2–ZnO heterostructure, while SEM revealed the structural morphology as pseudo-spherical with slight agglomeration. BTiO2–ZnO was found to be more efficient than BTiO2 and BZnO for the removal of tetracycline with degradation efficiencies of 63, 58, and 56 % respectively. The effects of process parameters such as the amount of photocatalyst, pollutant's concentration, and the initial solution pH on photocatalytic degradation study were systematically explored. The results confirm that the formation of the heterostructure from BTiO2 and BZnO could offer a facile route to improving the catalytic degradation of tetracycline. Therefore, this study offers a novel perspective on the design of efficient metal oxide photocatalyst systems that rely on the integration of defect engineering and heterojunction for the removal of organic contaminants.

Photocatalytic reduction of hexavalent chromium using Zn2SnO4–ZnO modified g-C3N4 composite

In this study, a novel hierarchical g-C3N4/Zn2SnO4–ZnO heterojunction system was reported as an efficient photocatalyst for the reduction of Cr(VI). The fabrication of the composite involved the synthesis of the complex metal oxide (Zn2SnO4–ZnO), followed by the in-situ integration into graphitic carbon nitride. The structure, morphology, and optical properties of the as-prepared tertiary composite were determined using various analytical techniques. The results indicated the improvement in surface area and the electronic structure of the semiconductor heterostructures. Photocatalytic measurement showed the efficiency of the ternary composite to cause a reduction of the band gap energy, delayed charge recombination process and enhancement of the visible light absorption. Reaction parameters including the solution pH, photocatalyst (g-C3N4/ZTO-ZnO) dosage, and the initial concentration of Cr(VI) on the degradation efficiency of the photocatalyst were evaluated. The solution pH was varied from 2 to 8, and pH 2 displayed the highest removal of Cr(VI) with 99.2 % removal efficiency for the g-C3N4/ZTO-ZnO, while the ZTO-ZnO exhibited 72 % efficiency. Finally, the kinetic study of the photocatalytic reaction showed an increase in the overall rate constant k with the increase in initial concentration of Cr(VI). The outstanding performance of the ternary composite compared to the bare complex metal oxide makes the innovative g-C3N4/Zn2SnO4–ZnO composite a promising material for the removal of Cr(VI) from aquatic environment.

Construction of rare-metal neodymium-doped ZnO and g-C3N4 Z-type heterostructures enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of methylene blue removal

Herein, Nd-ZnO/g-C3N4 (NZCN) composites were obtained by doping rare-earth element Nd with ZnO using a hydrothermal method, coupled with g-C3N4 (CN) electrostatic ultrasonic self-assembly. The NZCN composite exhibited an impressive methylene blue (MB) removal rate of 94.88 %, with a degradation rate of 0.02637 min−1 after 105 min exposure to 500 W xenon lamp irradiations. Comparatively, the degradation rate of MB by the NZCN composite was five and twice times higher than ZnO and CN samples, respectively. This significant improvement can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Nd, ZnO, and CN, which not only widened the light absorption range but also enhanced the density, separation, and transport of photogenerated electrons (e−) and holes (h+), thus improving the photocatalytic performance of the NZCN composites. An in-depth investigation into the photocatalytic reaction process was carried out using free-radical active-species capture experiments, confirming the critical role of h+. Furthermore, the reproducibility and stability of the NZCN composites were assessed over five experimental cycles, demonstrating consistent and stable MB degradation rates of 90.1 % while retaining the crystal structure unchanged. Overall, the construction of rare-earth-metal-doped ZnO and Z-type heterojunctions synergistically improves photocatalytic activity and provides a green and environmentally friendly approach for the removal of organics from wastewater.

Highly efficient photocatalytic removal of concentrated PEX, PAX and SIPX xanthates collectors by an immobilized nanostructured g-C3N4/ZnO low power backlighted module

This study provides a pathway to practical application of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts as a promising next-generation polymeric-based environmentally friendly two dimentional (2D) nano-photocatalyst under real conditions in a dark medium at a very high concentration of xanthates collectors. Ultra-low amounts photocatalyst loading, low-power visible LED light source and strong light-photocatalyst coupling also play important roles in practical photodegradation of pollutants. Herein, immobilized low metal-oxide loaded (LMOL) g-C3N4/ZnO backlighted photocatalytic module with 0.6 ± 0.1 g/m2 g-C3N4/ZnO loading was developed to degrade dark dyes, potassium ethyl xanthate (PEX), potassium amyl xanthate (PAX) and sodium isopropyl xanthate (SIPX) collectors. The LMOL g-C3N4/ZnO nanostructures were investigated by XRD, UV–vis, PL, FE-SEM and XPS. After an efficient decomposing of dark methylene blue and methyl orange, the photodegradation of PEX, PAX and SIPX was examined and the photodegradation mechanism of the xanthates was also investigated. The degradation efficiency of the photocatalytic module was up to 95 %, which remained unchanged after several cycles. The efficient photocatalytic removal of xanthates is due to the effective light-photocatalyst coupling in dark media and also well-established e-/h+ generation and separation in LMOL g-C3N4/ZnO heterojunction.

Investigation of the Morphology and Electrical Properties of Structures Based on a Single-Crystal Si/Microcrystalline ZnO Heterojunction

Investigation of the Morphology and Electrical Properties of Structures Based on a Single-Crystal Si/Microcrystalline ZnO Heterojunction

Biohybrid Urchin-Like ZnO-Based Microspheres with Tunable Hierarchical Structures and Enhanced Photoelectrocatalytic Properties.

Microorganisms have attracted much attention to act as biotemplates for fabricating micro/nanostructured functional particles. However, it is still challenging to produce tunable hierarchical particles based on microorganisms with intricate architectures and superior stability. Herein, a novel strategy is developed to fabricate biohybrid urchin-like magnetic ZnO microspheres based on Chlorella (Ch.) with tunable hierarchical core-shell structures. Using Ch. cells as microspherical templates, Fe3 O4 nanoparticles and ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays are deposited in sequence to form the final biohybrid heterostructure microspheres (Ch.@Fe3 O4 @ZnO NRs). Ordered growth and structural regulation of 3D ZnO NR arrays are achieved via a facile and controllable manner. Compared with the prepared microspheres with diverse structure configurations of ZnO shells, the Ch.@Fe3 O4 @ZnO NRs possess excellent light absorption and photoelectrocatalysis performance toward tetracycline degradation (normalized apparent rate constant, k = 366.3 h-1 g-1 ), which is significantly larger than that of ZnO nanoflower/nanoparticle loaded types. It also proves that the synergistic enhancement of well-oriented ZnO NR arrays, heterojunction structures, and biomass features is the fundamental reason for outstanding photoelectrocatalytic activity. Due to the remarkable stability and versatility, this work provides abundant opportunities to construct biohybrid multilevel micro/nanostructures with significant potentials for practical applications.

Defects Healing of the ZnO Surface by Filling with Au Atom Catalysts for Efficient Photocatalytic H2 Production.

Healed defects on photocatalysts surface and their interaction with plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted attention in H2 production process. In this study, surface oxygen vacancy (Vo ) defects are created on ZnO (Vo -ZnO) NPs by directly pyrolyzing zeolitic imidazolate framework. The surface defects on Vo -ZnO provide active sites for the diffusion of single Au atoms and as nucleation sites for the formation of Au NPs by the in situ photodeposition process. The electronically healed surface defects by single Au atoms help in the formation of a heterojunction between the ZnO and plasmonic Au NPs. The formed Au/Vo -Au:ZnO-4 heterojunction prolongs photoelectron lifetimes and increases donor charge density. Therefore, the optimized photocatalysts of Au/Vo -Au:ZnO-4 has 21.28 times higher H2 production rate than the pristine Vo -ZnO under UV-visible light in 0.35m Na2 SO4 and 0.25m Na2 SO3 . However in 0.35m Na2 S and 0.25m Na2 SO3 , the H2 production rate is 25.84 mmole h-1 g-1 . Furthermore, Au/Vo -Au:ZnO-4 shows visible light activity by generating hot carries via induced surface plasmonic effects. It has 48.58 times higher H2 production rate than pristine Vo -ZnO. Therefore, this study infers new insight for defect healing mediated preparation of Au/Vo -Au:ZnO heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic H2 production.

Ag Nanoparticles-decorated p-type CuO/n-type ZnO heterojunction nanofibers with enhanced photocatalytic activities for dye degradation and disinfection

With the rapid development of industry, organic pollutants and bacterial contamination in water resources are becoming increasingly severe. Photocatalysis is an effective approach to address this problem. ZnO, as a traditional n-type semiconductor photocatalyst, has a relatively wide bandgap, which results in a narrow range of light absorption and quick recombination of photogenerated charge carriers, thus limiting its development. In this work, we constructed p-type CuO/n-type ZnO heterojunction nanofibers (HNFs) to extend the light harvesting range and improve the migration and separation of the photoinduced electrons and holes across the hetero-interface through. Afterwards, Ag nanoparticles were introduced into above HNF matrix to reinforce the photocatalytic activity. Results showed that, upon simulated sunlight irradiation, the Ag NPs-decorated p-type CuO/n-type ZnO HNFs exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activities. After 20 min of simulated sunlight irradiation, approximately 98.5% of MB was degraded by 1.0 at% Ag NPs-decorated p-type CuO/n-type ZnO HNFs. Additionally, after 10 min of irradiation, the disinfection efficiency of HNFs for Escherichia coli was > 99.99%. It is worth noting that this study has opened up a new pathway for the rational design of p-n junction photocatalysts with superior charge transfer properties, to achieve remarkable photocatalytic disinfection and degradation activities.

Coupled radical and nonradical activation of peroxymonosulfate by the piezo-photocatalytic effect of α-SnWO4/ZnO heterojunction to boost the degradation and detoxification of carbamazepine

Piezo-photocatalytic processes based on heterogeneous catalysts, by establishing electronic fast track to realize electronic storage and conversion, are proved to be effective ways to improve the efficiency of PMS activation. Herein, α-SnWO4/ZnO catalyst with p-n heterojunction was constructed to testify the piezo-photocatalytic effect on peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for pollution control. The decomposition rate of carbamazepine (CBZ) in the piezo-photocatalytic PMS activation process by α-SnWO4/ZnO heterojunction was 12.6 and 5.2 times to that by ZnO and α-SnWO4 processes, respectively. In addition, the total organic carbon (TOC) removal rate of CBZ reached 89%, and TOC in the actual water body was also effectively removed. Free radical quenching and detection experiments showed that nonradicals (1O2) and free radicals (O2−, OH) were the mainly active species of the process, by which the toxicity of the intermediates of CBZ was significantly reduced by the combination of the radical and nonradical pathways through hydroxylation and singlet oxygen oxidation. Furthermore, the influences of the experimental factors, including the initial pH, PMS concentration, temperature and reuse of catalysts on CBZ degradation were evaluated. Notably, the activation energy (Ea) in this work was calculated as 34.2 kJ mol−1, which was lower than that of other reported systems. Overall, this work can scientifically guide the design of high-performance piezo-photocatalysts to use common metals for efficient activation of PMS as economical alternatives over expensive rare metal catalysts for water purification.

One-step controlled synthesis of ZnO-ZnSe hollow nanospheres with surface defects for selective detection of NO2

The introduction of surface defects in sensing materials is an important means to improve sensor performance. In this work, we design a simple one-step route to synthesize ZnO-ZnSe without any template or surfactant, and obtain ZnO-ZnSe hollow spherical composite with a diameter of ∼ 200 nm. The shell of the hollow spheres is assembled by nanoparticles with a lot of surface defects after sintering at 800 °C in N2 atmosphere. The surface defects can promote the sensing materials release more electrons and facilitate the reaction of oxygen ions on the material surface. It is beneficial to the adsorption of NO2 on sensing materials for enhancing the sensing performance. The composite shows excellent sensitivity for 10 ppm NO2 at 170 °C, which is 5.32 times that of pure ZnO. And the sensor can recover quickly within 28 s after responding to NO2. It is also satisfactory for the sensor to detect the lowest concentration of 100 ppb. The chemical characterizations such as DRS, PL, XPS, GC–MS, and Kelvin probe are used, combined with the calculation of DFT theory to further explore the synergy effect of the formation of ZnO and ZnSe heterojunction and the surface defects caused by high-temperature sintering on the improvement of sensor performance.

Antibacterial mechanism of phyto-synthesized CuO-decorated ZnO nanostructure in relation to hydrogen peroxide generation under visible-light condition

In this study, CuO-decorated ZnO (ZC) heterojunction nanocomposite was successfully green synthesized as a light-enhanced antibacterial material using Muntingia calabura leaf extract. Resultantly, it showed the formation of rice grain-shaped particles with 100 − 250 nm in length and 50 − 100 nm in width as shown through field emission-scanning electron microscopy images. Subsequently, the antibacterial activity of the ZC was evaluated against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains, in which the bactericidal properties of the material significantly increased upon being illuminated. The band structure of ZC nanocomposite reveals that the material generates free radicals and releases Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions to initiate the destruction of cell membranes. Besides, the ZC can also absorb light in the visible spectrum with a bandgap energy of 2.94 eV along with a feasible band structure that can facilitate the generation of free radicals as well as H2O2 concentration of 25 µM through a generation experiment within an oxygen-aerated aqueous media. Conclusively, the obtained results imply the great antibacterial capability for medical applications of green synthesized nanomaterials using biological plant extracts. Moreover, such results open up a new pathway to produce heterostructure through the use of plant extracts.

Nanoscale Ni-NiO-ZnO Heterojunctions for Switchable Dehydrogenation and Hydrogenation through Modulation of Active Sites.

Catalysts consisting of metal-metal hydroxide/oxide interfaces are highly in demand for advanced catalytic applications as their multicomponent active sites will enable different reactions to occur in close proximity through synergistic cooperation when a single component fails to promote it. To address this, herein we disclosed a simple, scalable, and affordable method for synthesizing catalysts consisting of nanoscale nickel-nickel oxide-zinc oxide (Ni-NiO-ZnO) heterojunctions by a combination of complexation and pyrolytic reduction. The modulation of active sites of catalysts was achieved by varying the reaction conditions of pyrolysis, controlling the growth, and inhibiting the interlayer interaction and Ostwald ripening through the efficient use of coordinated acetate and amide moieties of Zn-Ni materials (ZN-O), produced by the reaction between hydrazine hydrate and Zn-Ni-acetate complexes. We found that the coordinated organic moieties are crucial for forming heterojunctions and their superior catalytic activity. We analyzed two antagonistic reactions to evaluate the performance of the catalysts and found that while the heterostructure of Ni-NiO-ZnO and their cooperative synergy were crucial for managing the effectiveness and selectivity of the catalyst for dehydrogenation of aryl alkanes/alkenes, they failed to enhance the hydrogenation of nitro arenes. The hydrogenation reaction was influenced by the shape, surface properties, and interaction of the hydroxide and oxide of both zinc and nickel, particularly accessible Ni(0). The catalysts showed functional group tolerance, multiple reusabilities, broad substrate applicability, and good activity for both reactions.

Preparation of ZnxVyO/ZnO heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic activity

Solar energy utilization is regarded as one of the most promising and cost-effective approaches to solve energy and environmental problems. In the present work, a series of V-doped ZnO films with different V contents are produced by co-sputtering deposition for the photocatalytic applications. It is found that the introduction of V elements has a significant effect on the morphology, band structure and photoelectric properties of the material. The photocurrent response of ZnxVyO (V∼15%) sample enriches a value of 0.47 mA/cm2 at a constant voltage of 1.23 V (vs. RHE), which is about 2.2 times higher than that of undoped ZnO. In addition, the n-n heterojunctions combined with ZnxVyO and ZnO are prepared. Compared with ZnxVyO (V∼15%) sample, the photocurrent response of ZnxVyO (V∼15%)/ZnO is further improved by about 68%, reaching 0.79 mA/cm2. It is confirmed that the ZnxVyO (V∼15%)/ZnO heterojunctions structure could effectively inhibit the recombination of carriers and enhance the oxidation reaction.

Construction of Co3 O4 /ZnO Heterojunctions in Hollow N-Doped Carbon Nanocages as Microreactors for Lithium-Sulfur Full Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising alternatives of conventional Li-ion batteries attributed to their remarkable energy densities and high sustainability. However, the practical applications of Li-S batteries are hindered by the shuttling effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) on cathode and the Li dendrite formation on anode, which together leads to inferior rate capability and cycling stability. Here, an advanced N-doped carbon microreactors embedded with abundant Co3 O4 /ZnO heterojunctions (CZO/HNC) are designed as dual-functional hosts for synergistic optimization of both S cathode and Li metal anode. Electrochemical characterization and theoretical calculations confirm that CZO/HNC exhibits an optimized band structure that effectively facilitates ion diffusion and promotes bidirectional LiPSs conversion. In addition, the lithiophilic nitrogen dopants and Co3O4/ZnO sites together regulate dendrite-free Li deposition. The S@CZO/HNC cathode exhibits excellent cycling stability at 2 C with only 0.039% capacity fading per cycle over 1400 cycles, and the symmetrical Li@CZO/HNC cell enables stable Li plating/striping behavior for 400h. Remarkably, Li-S full cell using CZO/HNC as both cathode and anode hosts shows an impressive cycle life of over 1000 cycles. This work provides an exemplification of designing high-performance heterojunctions for simultaneous protection of two electrodes, and will inspire the applications of practical Li-S batteries.

Boosting the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/ZnO heterojunctions through optimal control of mass ratio

Boosting the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/ZnO heterojunctions through optimal control of mass ratio

In-situ growth of CdS QDs on ZnO porous microrods for highly sensitive detection of TEA at lower temperature

Driven by the growing issues of environmental degradation, gas sensor constructed with metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) has witnessed a rapid development owing to its suitability for monitoring different kinds of hazardous gases. In this paper, we report a CdS–ZnO n-n heterojunction approach to boost the triethylamine (TEA) sensing performance of ZnO. To expound it, ZnO porous microrods (PMRs) that assembled with secondary nanoparticles (about 25 nm in size) were prepared via an oxalate precursor method, on which CdS quantum dots (QDs) with dominant size of 7.92 nm were in-situ decorated via a facile hydrothermal route to construct nanoscale CdS–ZnO heterojunctions. Compared to the sensor constructed with pure ZnO, the hybrid CdS/ZnO sensor showed significant enhancements in TEA sensing performance, including lower operating temperature (decreased from 200 to 160 °C), higher sensitivity (0.214/ppm vs 0.068/ppm to 1–200 ppm TEA), better selectivity, and faster response speed. These improvements were well explained by the sensitization functions of CdS–ZnO heterojunctions, whose mechanism was comprehensively understood and discussed.

Hierarchically Periodic Macroporous CdS–ZnO Heterojunctions with Multiple Quantum Well-like Band Alignments for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution without a Cocatalyst

Heterostructures constructed by conventional methods, particularly those randomly distributed manner on the catalyst surface as well as forming core–shell structures, lead to imbalance in carrier utilization, limitation of charge extraction/transfer, and hindrance of light harvesting. In this study, we constructed a new type of heterostructure consisting of alternate CdS and ZnO grains bridged with good interfaces in the hierarchically periodic macroporous (HPM) walls by the pyrolysis of CdZnS solid solution in a polymethyl methacrylate nanoreactor. Since the alternately arranged CdS–ZnO heterojunctions in the HPM form multiple quantum well-like (MQW-like) band alignments that favor the Z-scheme charge transfer, the photogenerated electrons and holes are spatially separate and accumulated on CdS and ZnO parts, respectively. Besides the desirable spatial separation of the photogenerated charges, the enabled excellent mass transfer in the macroporous structures effectively accelerates the utilization of the carriers. Owing to the synergistic effect of the MQW-like band alignments and the HPM structures, the photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of HPM CdS–ZnO is as high as 587.8 μmol h–1 without a cocatalyst. This work introduces a fascinating strategy for the creation of alternate heterojunctions to improve carrier utilization.

Rational design of ZnO–CuO–Au S-scheme heterojunctions for photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light

An integration of S-scheme heterojunction catalyst with surface plasmon resonance effect is the prime focus of current research activites in the field of visible light driven photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) evolution. Herein, a sol-gel route is used to design a heterojunction of ZnO–CuO–Au. The effect of process parameters, including irradiation time, catalyst dose, and sacrificial reagents on the hydrogen evolution is studied. The S-scheme ZnO–CuO–Au heterojunction catalyst demonstrated high surface area, better optical absorption response in the visible part of light spectrum, and improved separation and transportion of charge carriers as verified by DRS, PL, and photoelectrochemical studies. The maximum H2 evolution rateof ZnO–CuO–Au reaches 4655 μmolh−1g−1, which is 5 and 3.2 times higher than ZnO–CuO and Au–ZnO catalysts, respectively. A possible reason of this increase in H2 evolution rate is inhibited recombination of charge carriers because of the S-scheme design to increase electrons with strong reduction potential and prolong lifetime, Au serves as an SPR source and conductive channel to swift the transfer of electrons and high density of active sites. This work offers innovative insight into designing plasmonic metals-modified S-scheme systems for solar fuel production.