Latest Progress on Photocatalytic H2 Production by Water Splitting and H2 Production Coupled with Selective Oxidation of Organics over ZnIn2S4-Based Photocatalysts

Semiconductor photocatalysis has demonstrated a promising potential in solving the energy crisis and environmental pollution. In the past few years, hexagonal ZnIn2S4 has received increasing attention in photocatalysis due to its relatively narrow band gap, strong reducing power for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), excellent chemical stability, nontoxicity, as well as low cost. This Review summarizes the latest advances of ZnIn2S4-based photocatalysts for the conversion of solar energy to hydrogen production, accompanied by selective organic oxidation to obtain value-added chemicals and organic pollute degradation. First, the basic crystal structure, photoelectric properties, and preparation methods of ZnIn2S4 are briefly introduced. Three typical kinds of modification strategies including defect engineering, cocatalyst loading, and heterojunction fabrication then are summarized. As for the photocatalytic activity, besides the conventional HER in the presence of hole capturers, we have highlighted the developments of ZnIn2S4-based photocatalysts for H2 production via overall water splitting, and H2 production coupled with selective oxidization of organics and with degradation of organic pollutes. Last, some challenges that ZnIn2S4 would face to realize application in solar energy conversion and environmental protection are presented.

Automated summary

Semiconductor photocatalysis with hexagonal ZnIn2S4 shows great potential in addressing energy crisis and environmental pollution. This review summarizes the recent advances of ZnIn2S4-based photocatalysts for solar energy conversion to hydrogen production, selective organic oxidation, and organic pollutant degradation. The crystal structure, photoelectric properties, preparation methods, and modification strategies of ZnIn2S4 are discussed. Challenges for the practical application of ZnIn2S4 in solar energy conversion and environmental protection are also presented.