Construction of S-scheme heterojunction via coating ZIF-8-derived Zn0.7Cd0.3S on Ni2P hydrangea for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution coupled with benzyl alcohol oxidation

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science 2025-02, Vol.680 (Pt B), p.748-762
• Main Authors: Yuan, Xinggen, Cheng, Yangkai, Zhang, Churu, Shan, Guochao, Liu, Ruoning, Luo, Feiyang, Deng, Yanyan, Yao, Kaili, Xu, Jing, Shan, Shaoyun, Liu, Wei, Hu, Tianding
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Benzyl alcohol oxidation; Efficient charge transfer; Hydrogen evolution; Photocatalysis; S-scheme heterojunction
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.11.095

[Display omitted] •The Zn0.7Cd0.3S@15 %Ni2P enables synergistic reaction of H2 evolution and BA oxidation.•This nanosheet structure of Ni2P allows the reflection and scattering of light between the nanosheets.•The ZIF-8-derived Zn1-xCdxS retains high porosity and large specific surface area of ZIF-8, exposing abundant active sites. Coupling light-driven hydrogen (H2) evolution with benzyl alcohol (BA) oxidation is regard as a prospective strategy for obtaining value-added fuels as well as chemicals to deal with energy and environment crisis. In this contribution, a series of dual-functional noble metal-free S-scheme heterojunctions (Zn1-xCdxS@yNi2P) with spatially separated and precise redox sites were constructed by synthesizing Zn1-xCdxS with regular morphology uniformly coated on Ni2P nanosheets via the template method for coupling H2 evolution with BA oxidation. The optimized Zn0.7Cd0.3S@15 %Ni2P photocatalytic produced H2 (40.33 mmol g−1 h−1) and benzaldehyde (BAD) (43.38 mmol g−1 h−1), remarkably exceeding pure Ni2P and Zn0.7Cd0.3S. Notably, the Zn0.7Cd0.3S@15 %Ni2P gave a significant advantage in coupling H2 evolution and BA oxidation performance than the catalysts reported previously. The S-scheme heterojunction constructed between Zn0.7Cd0.3S and Ni2P was demonstrated by Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, in-situ radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The effect of S-scheme heterointerfaces and internal electric field promoted photo-induced charge separation and transfer efficiency, greatly enhancing the photocatalysis performance. This work emphasizes the significance of rational engineering of heterojunctions, providing an enlightening guidance on synthesis of dual-functional photo-redox catalysts to improve economical solar fuel exploitation and production of value-added chemicals.