Defect-Induced Atomical Zn–O/N–C Bonding Promotes Efficient Charge Transfer in S-Scheme Interface for Bubble Level Solar Hydrogen Production
Dexu Zhang, Shixuan Zhu, Zhihong Xue, Yong Zhang, Jie Zhang, Shiyuan Yu, Shuai Xiong, He Mao, Chen Fang, Yiqiang He
Abstract
Establishing efficient and clear atomic-level charge transfer channels presents a significant challenge in the design of effective photocatalysts. A sound strategy has been developed herein involving the construction of defect-induced heterostructures that create chemical bonds serving as charge transfer channels at the heterojunction interface. In situ XPS, alongside theoretical calculations, demonstrates the successful construction of Zn–O/N–C as atomic charge transfer channels. Our findings reveal that the introduction of zinc vacancies (V Zn ) reduces the carrier transport activation energy (CTAE) from 155.2 meV for ZIS/CN to 128.7 meV for V Zn -ZIS/CN. Consequently, the optimal V Zn -ZIS/CN achieves a high hydrogen evolution rate of 22.26 mmol g –1 h –1 without Pt as a cocatalyst, which is approximately 57 times greater compared to that of ZIS/CN. Notably, hydrogen is generated at bubble levels under natural sunlight. This work provides insights into the mechanisms by which defect-induced heterostructure building strategies can introduce chemical bonds at the heterojunction interface.