CdS/ZnIn2S4 type II heterojunctions improve photocatalytic hydrogen production: faster electron–hole separation and wider visible light utilization

Abstract

It is well known that the efficiency of electron–hole separation and visible light utilization are the main reasons affecting the photocatalytic performance. In this work, ZnIn₂S₄ (ZIS) was modified with CdS and constructed to form type II heterojunctions to broaden the corresponding degree of visible light. Meanwhile, the construction of heterojunctions promotes the rapid separation of electron–hole. Compared with all monomers, the photocatalytic performance of the complex was improved. When the mass fraction of CdS is 5%, CdS/ZIS heterojunction has the best photocatalytic performance under visible light (113 μmol h⁻¹), which is 2.23 and 3.96 times higher than CdS (50.5 μmol h⁻¹) and ZIS (28.5 μmol h⁻¹), respectively. Simple modification greatly improves the photocatalytic performance, which provides a new idea for the preparation of high performance ZIS-based materials.