Zhang Xin, Yuan Haohuan, Bao Jiao, Xiao Wenting, He Guannan
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, School of Physics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Quantum Matter, Frontier Research Institute for Physics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, School of Physics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Quantum Matter, Frontier Research Institute for Physics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Dec;651:254-263. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.136. Epub 2023 Jul 22.
ZnCdS, a metal chalcogenide solid solution, has attracted significant attention. However, two primary challenges hinder its widespread application in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: the rapid recombination rate of photogenerated carriers and susceptibility to photo-oxidation in the aqueous environments. In this article, a facile hydrothermal route was employed for the first time to uniformly assemble SnS nanoparticles onto the surface of ZnCdS (ZCS) nanopolyhedra. The intimate contact of two materials resulted in the formation of heterojunctions. By adjusting the content of SnS, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance was optimized to reach up to 12170 μmol/gh, which is 1.9 times of the pristine ZCS. Notably, the photocatalyst demonstrated remarkable stability with an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 15.5% at 420 nm. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the following factors: (i) The heterojunction composite, with larger surface area and more micropores, provides additional active sites and exhibits high photocatalytic activity; (ii) The internal electric field accelerates the separation of photogenerated carriers and reduces the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs; (iii) The photogenerated holes can be quickly transferred to the valence band of SnS and react with triethanolamine, thereby significantly reducing the photo-oxidation of ZCS. This work not only proposed a feasible route to improve the photocatalytic activity of ZCS, but also provided insights into the role of heterojunctions and the reaction mechanism.
硫化锌镉（ZnCdS）作为一种金属硫族化物固溶体，已引起了广泛关注。然而，两个主要挑战阻碍了其在光催化析氢领域的广泛应用：光生载流子的快速复合率以及在水环境中易发生光氧化。在本文中，首次采用简便的水热法将硫化锡（SnS）纳米颗粒均匀组装在硫化锌镉（ZCS）纳米多面体表面。两种材料的紧密接触导致形成了异质结。通过调整SnS的含量，析氢反应（HER）性能得到优化，高达12170 μmol/gh，是原始ZCS的1.9倍。值得注意的是，该光催化剂表现出显著的稳定性，在420 nm处的表观量子产率（AQY）为15.5%。光催化性能的增强可归因于以下因素：（i）异质结复合材料具有更大的表面积和更多的微孔，提供了额外的活性位点并表现出高光催化活性；（ii）内部电场加速了光生载流子的分离，降低了电子 - 空穴对的复合率；（iii）光生空穴可以迅速转移到SnS的价带并与三乙醇胺反应，从而显著降低ZCS的光氧化。这项工作不仅提出了一条提高ZCS光催化活性的可行途径，还深入了解了异质结的作用和反应机理。
