Z-Scheme Modulated Charge Transfer on InVO4 @ZnIn2 S4 for Durable Overall Water Splitting

Small. 2023 May;19(19):e2207031. doi: 10.1002/smll.202207031. Epub 2023 Feb 15.

Abstract

The charge transfer within heterojunction is crucial for the efficiency and stability of photocatalyst for overall water splitting (OWS). Herein, InVO4 nanosheets have been employed as a support for the lateral epitaxial growth of ZnIn2 S4 nanosheets to produce hierarchical InVO4 @ZnIn2 S4 (InVZ) heterojunctions. The distinct branching heterostructure facilitates active site exposure and mass transfer, further boosting the participation of ZnIn2 S4 and InVO4 for proton reduction and water oxidation, respectively. The unique Z-scheme modulated charge transfer, visualized by simulation and in situ analysis, has been proved to promote the spatial separation of photoexcited charges and strengthen the anti-photocorrosion capability of InVZ. The optimized InVZ heterojunction presents improved OWS (153.3 µmol h-1 g-1 for H2 and 76.9 µmol h-1 g-1 for O2 ) and competitive H2 production (21090 µmol h-1 g-1 ). Even after 20 times (100 h) of cycle experiment, it still holds more than 88% OWS activity and a complete structure.

Keywords: Z-scheme heterojunction; anti-photocorrosion capability; charge transfer; internal interfacial electric field; overall water splitting.