Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting and photocatalytic degradation performance of visible light active ZnIn2S4/PANI nanocomposite

In our work, zinc indium sulfide coupled polyaniline (ZnIn2S4/PANI) nanocomposites were synthesized using chemisorption method. The substantial enhancement in the photo -catalytic and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting activity under visible light illu-mination was demonstrated. ZnIn2S4/PANI nanocomposites were shown similar to 3 times improvement in the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye as compared to bare ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) nanoflakes. In addition, the ZIS/PANI nanocomposite photoelectrode was exhibited similar to 3 times enhancement in photocurrent density (similar to 260 mu A/cm(2) at 0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl) as compared to ZnIn2S4 photoelectrode. However, the ZIS/PANI photoanode was demon-strated similar to 5 fold enhancement in the incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) than bare ZIS. The enhancement in the photodegradation and PEC water splitting activity of ZIS/PANI nanocomposite is ascribed to extended visible light absorption, and synergetic effect of PANI along with type-II heterojunction formation, which is beneficial for sepa-ration of charge and faster transfer efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers. This study demonstrates that establishing a heterostructure system by coupling a ternary chalco-genide semiconductor with a conducting polymer is effective for photocatalytic waste-water treatment and PEC water splitting applications. (c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, zinc indium sulfide coupled polyaniline (ZnIn2S4/PANI) nanocomposites were synthesized using a chemisorption method. The nanocomposites exhibited significant enhancement in photo-catalytic and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting activity under visible light illumination. The improvement in photodegradation and PEC water splitting activity is attributed to extended visible light absorption, synergistic effect of PANI, and the formation of a type-II heterojunction, which facilitates charge separation and faster transfer efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers.