Journal
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33065-7
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Funding
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2021YFA0715700, 2018YFE0202201, 2018YFA0208702]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51732011, U1932213, 21771170, 22101271]
- University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province [GXXT-2019-028]
- Science and Technology Major Project of Anhui Province [201903a05020003]
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [2017M622016, 2017LH006]
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This study successfully synthesized a library of polytypic copper-based quaternary sulfide nanocrystals using selective epitaxial growth, which demonstrated promising photocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution.
While polytypic semiconductors are promising for solar-to-fuel applications, preparing homojunction nanomaterials has proven challenging. Here, authors obtain a library of polytypic copper-based quaternary sulfide nanocrystals by selective epitaxial growth of kesterite phase on wurtzite structure. 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.
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