Engineering S-scheme W18O49/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction by CoxP nanoclusters for enhanced charge transfer capability and solar hydrogen evolution
Xiaojie Liu, Erkang Liu, Zixian Wang, Wen Zhang, Mingyu Dou, Hua Yang, Changhua An, Dacheng Li, Jianmin Dou
Abstract
Enhancement of the light-absorption response and utilization of the photogenerated carriers represent a robust strategy for the design of high-performance photocatalyst. In this work, grafting Co x P nanoclusters onto S-scheme heterojunction of W 18 O 49 /ZnIn 2 S 4 (WO/ZIS-Co x P) with strong response to the ultraviolet–visible–near infrared ray (UV–vis–NIR) region has been achieved, which possesses efficient electron-transfer-channel, and boosts charge-separation and transport kinetics. The as-prepared WO/ZIS-Co x P yields an impressive solar-driven hydrogen production rate of 45 mmol·g −1 ·h −1 . The increased photocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of the composite catalyst: (1) The local surface plasmon resonance-induced “hot electron” injection of W 18 O 49 significantly increases the electron density; (2) the engineered S-scheme directional electron transfer promotes charge separation and enhances the reducing capability of photoexcited electrons; and (3) Co x P as electron-trap site for accelerating surface proton reduction reaction. This work provides a platform to impart nonprecious co-catalyst for engineering S-scheme heterojunction, serving a class of efficient solar-driven photocatalyst towards hydrogen production.