In-situ construction of direct Z-scheme sea-urchin- like ZnS/SnO2 heterojunctions for boosted photocatalytic hydrogen production

Constructing direct Z-scheme heterostructure is an effective way to promote the separation of photogenerated carriers and optimize the redox ability of the photocatalytic system. This work reports the in-situ synthesis of sea-urchin-like ZnS/SnO2 Z-scheme heterojunctions via a one-step hydrothermal method. Both experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the tight interfaces derived from in-situ precursor dissociation can ensure a fast transfer for photogenerated carriers, meanwhile, the Z-scheme type of heterojunctions can increase the carrier separation efficiency and maintain the high reduction ability of photogenerated electrons. As expected, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of the as-optimized ZnS/SnO2 sample can reach 2.17 mmol g-1 h-1, which is 15.5 times higher than that of the commercial ZnS. This work can offer a novel strategy for designing Z-scheme heterojunction as well as controlling the contact interface for boosted photocatalytic activity. (c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study reports the in-situ synthesis of sea-urchin-like ZnS/SnO2 Z-scheme heterojunctions, which exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity by promoting carrier separation and maintaining high reduction ability.