Bi2S3 quantum dots in situ grown on MoS2 nanoflowers: An efficient electron-rich interface for photoelectrochemical N2 reduction

Nan Gao; Huimin Yang; Dai Dong; Danyang Dou; Yujie Liu; Wenjing Zhou; Fanfan Gao; Cheng Nan; Zhenhai Liang; Donghua Yang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2021.12.096

Bi₂S₃ quantum dots in situ grown on MoS₂ nanoflowers: An efficient electron-rich interface for photoelectrochemical N₂ reduction

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2022 Apr:611:294-305. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.12.096. Epub 2021 Dec 18.

Authors

Nan Gao¹, Huimin Yang², Dai Dong³, Danyang Dou⁴, Yujie Liu⁴, Wenjing Zhou¹, Fanfan Gao¹, Cheng Nan¹, Zhenhai Liang⁵, Donghua Yang⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, PR China.
² College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, PR China. Electronic address: yanghuimin@tyut.edu.cn.
³ Shanxi University of Technology, Shuozhou 036002, PR China.
⁴ Polytechnic Institute Taiyuan University of Technology, Xiaoyi 032300, PR China.
⁵ Shanxi University of Technology, Shuozhou 036002, PR China; Polytechnic Institute Taiyuan University of Technology, Xiaoyi 032300, PR China.
⁶ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, PR China. Electronic address: ydh1962@163.com.

PMID: 34954605
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.12.096

Abstract

Photoelectrocatalysis is considered a green, environmentally friendly, sustainable technology for NH₃ synthesis. However, the low efficiency of ammonia synthesis is currently the primary problem in photoelectrochemical nitrogen reduction reactions (PEC NRR). Herein, a nanocomposite BQD/MS developed through the in-situ growth of Bi₂S₃ quantum dots (BQD) on MoS₂ (MS) nanoflowers was demonstrated as an efficient PEC NRR catalyst. Experimental results showed that the strong interaction between BQD and MS modulated the interfacial charge distribution and increased the electron density on the MS side. Meanwhile, the excellent structure of BQD/MS promoted the effective migration of photogenerated electrons from excited BQD to the MS surface. The electron-rich MS reaction interface was conducive to cleaving the stable NN bond and improving the N₂ reduction performance. As a result, the prepared BQD/15MS photocathode obtained an excellent Faradaic efficiency of 33.2% and an NH₃ yield of 18.5 μg h^-1 mg^-1, which was about three times that of bare MS.

Keywords: Bi(2)S(3) quantum dots; Heterojunction; MoS(2) nanoflowers; Nitrogen reduction; Photoelectrocatalysis.