Dual Z-scheme TCN/ZnS/ ZnIn2S4 with efficient separation for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

Ting Sun; Ping Gao; Yuqing He; Zhiren Wu; Jun Liu; Xinshan Rong

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.10.023

Dual Z-scheme TCN/ZnS/ ZnIn₂S₄ with efficient separation for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Jan 15;654(Pt A):602-611. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.10.023. Epub 2023 Oct 9.

Authors

Ting Sun¹, Ping Gao¹, Yuqing He¹, Zhiren Wu², Jun Liu¹, Xinshan Rong³

Affiliations

¹ School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
² School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China; Institute of Environmental Health and Ecological Security, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
³ School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China; TM Advanced Material Technology and Engineering Institute, Changzhou 213251, China. Electronic address: rxsmile@ujs.edu.cn.

PMID: 37864867
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.10.023

Abstract

The development of an efficient catalyst that can use solar energy for NH₃ production is of great significance in solving the environmental and energy crisis caused by the traditional ammonia synthesis process. In this work, a dual Z-scheme tubular carbon nitride/zinc sulfide/zinc indium sulfide ternary composited photocatalyst (TCN/ZnS/ZnIn₂S₄) with excellent nitrogen photofixation performance under visible light was prepared by self-assembly and hydrothermal methods. The crystal structure studies confirmed that tubular carbon nitride (TCN) had more active sites that could promote N₂ adsorption. The photochemical studies proved that the double charge transfer channel provided by the dual Z-scheme heterojunction could improve the efficiency of electron-hole separation and achieve excellent photocatalytic nitrogen fixation. The ammonia production rate of the TCN/ZnS/ZnIn₂S₄ catalyst was up to 136.56 μmol/L, and it also has good stability and reusability. This work provides new insight into the development of Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts with green and efficient nitrogen fixation.

Keywords: Dual Z-scheme; Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation; TCN/ZnS/ZnIn(2)S(4); Tubular carbon nitride.