Fabricated ZnO@ZnIn2S4 S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for enhanced electron-transfer and CO2 reduction

Yining Zhang; Mengyang Xu; Weiqiang Zhou; Xianghai Song; Xin Liu; Jisheng Zhang; Songtao Chen; Pengwei Huo

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.120

Fabricated ZnO@ZnIn₂S₄ S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for enhanced electron-transfer and CO₂ reduction

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Nov 15;650(Pt B):1762-1772. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.120. Epub 2023 Jul 21.

Authors

Yining Zhang¹, Mengyang Xu², Weiqiang Zhou³, Xianghai Song², Xin Liu², Jisheng Zhang², Songtao Chen⁴, Pengwei Huo⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, PR China; College of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Henan University of Urban Construction, Pingdingshan 467000, PR China; Institute of Green Chemistry and Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China.
² Institute of Green Chemistry and Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China.
³ Institute of Green Chemistry and Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China. Electronic address: wqzhou@ujs.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, PR China; College of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Henan University of Urban Construction, Pingdingshan 467000, PR China. Electronic address: 30100001@hncj.edu.cn.
⁵ Institute of Green Chemistry and Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China. Electronic address: huopw@ujs.edu.cn.

PMID: 37506417
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.120

Abstract

Step-scheme (S-scheme) heterojunctions can efficiently promote the separation of photogenerated carriers while maintaining the strong oxidation/reduction ability of photocatalysts; thus, research attention on S-scheme heterojunctions is increasing year by year. In this study, the S-scheme ZnO@ZnIn₂S₄ (ZnO@ZIS) heterojunction was prepared successfully. Then, electron spin resonance (ESR) characterization was applied to prove the successful construction of the S-scheme heterojunction. Photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), and photoelectrochemical experiments have demonstrated efficient interfacial charge transport in ZnO@ZIS. Finally, the mechanism of CO₂ activation and electron transport was investigated by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and discrete Fourier transform (DFT) calculation analysis. The 40-ZnO@ZIS composite showed the best activity under light, and its CO and CH₄ yields reached 39.76 and 3.92 μmol∙g^-1∙h^-1, respectively. This study provides a solution for optimizing the photocatalytic reduction activity of semiconductor photocatalysts by constructing S-scheme heterojunction materials to improve the CO₂ reduction capacity.

Keywords: Charge separation; Photocatalytic reduction of CO(2); S-scheme heterojunction; ZnIn(2)S(4); ZnO.