Doping and interface engineering accelerating spatial charge separation and transfer on 2D/2D Sn-In₂S₃/CdS Z-scheme...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photocatalysis
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) β-In2S3 shows promise for photocatalytic hydrogen production due to its favorable properties.
• However, high charge recombination rates limit its practical application.
• Developing efficient strategies to overcome this limitation is crucial for advancing solar hydrogen generation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer an ultrathin 2D/2D Sn-In2S3/CdS Z-scheme heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production.
• To investigate the role of Sn4+ doping and interface engineering in improving charge separation and carrier migration.
• To evaluate the photocatalytic performance and mechanism of the designed heterojunction.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Sn4+ doped In2S3 nanosheets and in situ deposition of CdS nanosheets.
• Construction of a 2D/2D Sn-In2S3/CdS Z-scheme heterojunction with a sulfur-shared interface.
• Characterization using various techniques and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to elucidate the mechanism.

Main Results:

• The Sn-In2S3/CdS heterojunction exhibited a high hydrogen evolution rate of 5.119 mmol·g-1·h-1, a significant enhancement over pure components.
• Sn4+ doping broadened the visible light absorption and improved photocatalytic stability.
• The Z-scheme architecture effectively suppressed electron-hole recombination and accelerated carrier transfer, confirmed by experimental and theoretical studies.

Conclusions:

• The developed Sn-In2S3/CdS Z-scheme heterojunction demonstrates superior performance for visible-light-driven hydrogen production.
• Heteroatom doping and interface engineering are effective strategies for designing advanced photocatalysts.
• This work offers a promising pathway for efficient and stable solar hydrogen generation using engineered heterostructures.