Fabrication of a highly dispersed Co3O4-modified MOF-derived ZnO@ZnS porous heterostructure for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production

A porous and highly dispersed Co3O4-modified ZnO@ZnS heterostructure (Co3O4-ZnO@ZnS) was developed by the simple calcination and sulfurization of the designed bimetallic ZnCo-ZIF@ZIF-8. The charge separation and transfer in this novel heterostructure were significantly improved owing to the highly dispersed Co3O4 and the porous structure. The hydrogen production rate of Co3O4-ZnO@ZnS was 1816.3 mu mol g(-1) h(-1) with Na2S-Na2SO3 as the sacrificial agent under a Xe lamp, which was 1.5 times greater than that of ZnO@ZnS (1215.6 mu mol g(-1) h(-1)). Moreover, the photocatalytic performance of Co3O4-ZnO@ZnS was further improved by loading a Pt cocatalyst, with the hydrogen production rate reaching 3269.3 mu mol g(-1) h(-1). This method can be used to design other effective photocatalytic heterostructures for water splitting.

Automated summary

A porous and highly dispersed Co3O4-modified ZnO@ZnS heterostructure was synthesized by calcination and sulfurization of ZnCo-ZIF@ZIF-8. The charge separation and transfer in this heterostructure were significantly improved due to the highly dispersed Co3O4 and the porous structure. The hydrogen production rate of Co3O4-ZnO@ZnS with Pt cocatalyst reached 3269.3 mu mol g(-1) h(-1), indicating its potential application in water splitting.