Facet Engineering-Induced Construction of Ni2P/ZnIn2S4 Heterostructures for Boosted Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Facet engineering was realized to enhance the CO2 photoreductionperformance of the Ni2P/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure,in which the commonly exposed (1 0 2) face of ZnIn2S4 was converted to the (1 0 1) face due to the unique propertiesof the phosphide. The variation in the crystal plane strengthenedthe intense interfacial contact between Ni2P and ZnIn2S4, resulting in the promotion of utilization andabsorption efficiency for incident light and boosting the surfacereaction rate. Combined with the significant metallicity of Ni2P, inhibited recombination and strengthened transfer efficiencywere achieved, leading to an obvious enhancement of photoreductionactivity over Ni2P/ZnIn2S4 comparedto pure samples. In particular, the optimal NZ7 composite (the massratio of Ni2P to ZnIn2S4) reached68.31 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) of CH4, 10.65 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) of CH3OH, and 11.15 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) of HCOOH. The mechanism of the CO2 photoreductionprocess was elucidated using ESR and in situ DRIFTS techniques.

Automated summary

Facet engineering was used to enhance the CO2 photoreduction performance of the Ni2P/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure by converting the commonly exposed (1 0 2) face of ZnIn2S4 to the (1 0 1) face. This increased the interfacial contact between Ni2P and ZnIn2S4, resulting in improved utilization and absorption efficiency for incident light and increased surface reaction rate. This approach also inhibited recombination and strengthened transfer efficiency, leading to significant enhancement of photoreduction activity.