Coupling ZnIn2S4 Nanosheets with MoS2 Hollow Nanospheres as Visible-Light-Active Bifunctional Photocatalysts for Enhancing H2 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

doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00825

Coupling ZnIn₂S₄ Nanosheets with MoS₂ Hollow Nanospheres as Visible-Light-Active Bifunctional Photocatalysts for Enhancing H₂ Evolution and RhB Degradation

Inorg Chem. 2023 May 8;62(18):7111-7122. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00825. Epub 2023 Apr 26.

Authors

Yue Chen¹, Liezhen Zhu¹, Jingzhe Li¹, Lingfang Qiu¹, Chenhui Zhou¹, Xun Xu¹, Youliang Shen¹, Jiangbo Xi², Dandan Men¹, Ping Li¹, Shuwang Duo¹

Affiliations

¹ Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Surface Engineering, School of Materials and Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, P. R. China.
² Key Laboratory of Novel Biomass-Based Environmental and Energy Materials in Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Phosphorus Resources Development and Utilization of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430073, P. R. China.

PMID: 37099015
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00825

Abstract

In this study, Mo-glycerate was used as a precursor to create MoS₂ hollow nanospheres (HNS), which were then used for the first time to modify ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets to create MoS₂ HNS/ZnIn₂S₄ photocatalysts. The findings demonstrate that MoS₂ HNS/ZnIn₂S₄ heterojunctions exhibited remarkably boosted photocatalytic properties and excellent reusability for both RhB degradation and H₂ evolution without the use of Pt as a co-catalyst. Among the heterojunctions, the RhB degradation and H₂ evolution efficiencies of the optimized MoS₂ HNS/ZnIn₂S₄-3 wt % composite were almost 5 and 34 times higher than those of ZnIn₂S₄, respectively. The excellent performance of MoS₂ HNS/ZnIn₂S₄-3 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 MoS₂ HNS/ZnIn₂S₄ heterojunctions was also postulated.