Coupling ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> Nanosheets with MoS<sub>2</sub> Hollow Nanospheres as Visible-Light-Active Bifunctional Photocatalysts for Enhancing H<sub>2</sub> Evolution and RhB Degradation
Yue Chen, Liezhen Zhu, Jingzhe Li, Lingfang Qiu, Chenhui Zhou, Xun Xu, Youliang Shen, Jiangbo Xi, Dandan Men, Ping Li, Shuwang Duo
Abstract
In this study, Mo-glycerate was used as a precursor to create MoS 2 hollow nanospheres (HNS), which were then used for the first time to modify ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets to create MoS 2 HNS/ZnIn 2 S 4 photocatalysts. The findings demonstrate that MoS 2 HNS/ZnIn 2 S 4 heterojunctions exhibited remarkably boosted photocatalytic properties and excellent reusability for both RhB degradation and H 2 evolution without the use of Pt as a co-catalyst. Among the heterojunctions, the RhB degradation and H 2 evolution efficiencies of the optimized MoS 2 HNS/ZnIn 2 S 4 -3 wt % composite were almost 5 and 34 times higher than those of ZnIn 2 S 4, respectively. The excellent performance of MoS 2 HNS/ZnIn 2 S 4 -3 wt % might be attributed to the expansion of the visible-light response range and the accelerated separation efficiency of photo-induced carriers, according to the findings of the optical property tests. Based on the established band gap position and characterization results, a potential mechanism for appealing photocatalytic activity over MoS 2 HNS/ZnIn 2 S 4 heterojunctions was also postulated.