A library of polytypic copper-based quaternary sulfide nanocrystals enables efficient solar-to-hydrogen conversion

Liang Wu; Qian Wang; Tao-Tao Zhuang; Guo-Zhen Zhang; Yi Li; Hui-Hui Li; Feng-Jia Fan; Shu-Hong Yu

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-33065-7

A library of polytypic copper-based quaternary sulfide nanocrystals enables efficient solar-to-hydrogen conversion

Nat Commun. 2022 Sep 15;13(1):5414. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33065-7.

Authors

Liang Wu^#¹, Qian Wang^#², Tao-Tao Zhuang¹, Guo-Zhen Zhang², Yi Li¹, Hui-Hui Li¹, Feng-Jia Fan³, Shu-Hong Yu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biomimetic Materials and Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials, Division of Nanomaterials and Chemistry, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
² Department of Chemical Physics, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Modern Physics, Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biomimetic Materials and Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials, Division of Nanomaterials and Chemistry, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China. shyu@ustc.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Designing polytypic homojunction is an efficient way to regulate photogenerated electrons and holes, thereafter bringing desired physical and chemical properties and being attractive photocatalysts for solar-to-hydrogen conversion. However, the high-yield and controllable synthesis of well-defined polytypes especially for multinary chalcogenide - the fundamental factor favoring highly efficient solar-to-hydrogen conversion - has yet to be achieved. Here, we report a general colloidal method to construct a library of polytypic copper-based quaternary sulfide nanocrystals, including Cu₂ZnSnS₄, Cu₂CdSnS₄, Cu₂CoSnS₄, Cu₂MnSnS₄, Cu₂FeSnS₄, Cu₃InSnS₅ and Cu₃GaSnS₅, which can be synthesized by selective epitaxial growth of kesterite phase on wurtzite structure. Besides, this colloidal method allows the precise controlling of the homojunction number corresponding to the photocatalytic performance. The single-homojunction and double-homojunction polytypic Cu₂ZnSnS₄ nanocrystal photocatalysts show 2.8-fold and 3.9-fold improvement in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rates relative to the kesterite nanocrystals, respectively. This homojunction existed in the polytypic structure opens another way to engineer photocatalysts.

Abstract

Grants and funding