SnNb2O6/NiCo-LDH Z-scheme heterojunction with regulated oxygen vacancies obtained by engineering the crystallinity for efficient and renewable photocatalytic H2 evolution

Designing highly active and durable amorphous photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution via water splitting is still a significant challenge. Weakening of the crystallinity by engineering has been used to prepare four SnNb2O6/NiCo-LDH composites with different crystallinities. Among them, the amorphous-amorphous SnNb2O6/NiCo-LDH (SNO-LDH) Z-scheme heterojunction exhibits abundant oxygen vacancies (O-v). The as-prepared SNO-LDH (10 : 1) catalyst shows an optimal visible-light catalytic H-2 production rate of 82.2 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) that is four times greater than that of pure SnNb2O6, and reveals a high renewability (retained rate of 75.1%) after five cyclic experiments, which is attributed to the high efficiency of the photogenerated carrier separation, and the self-recovery of active metal and oxygen vacancies by regulating the crystallinity of the recycled catalysts. This study offers a novel viewpoint into the design of highly active and durable amorphous photocatalysts for use in energy and environmental applications.

Automated summary

This study presents a novel approach in designing highly active and durable amorphous photocatalysts with a unique amorphous-amorphous SnNb2O6/NiCo-LDH Z-scheme heterojunction, exhibiting excellent visible-light catalytic hydrogen production performance and high renewability.