Cooperative photocatalytic H2 liberation and benzyl alcohol C–C coupling reactions on Zn2In2S5 embracing Zn/In dual vacancies

Abstract

Photocatalytic benzyl alcohol (BA) conversion is a promising approach for coproducing H2 and value-added chemicals but is subject to low efficiency. Here, a dual defect engineering strategy has been applied to Zn2In2S5, i.e. by constructing both Zn and In vacancies (VZn/VIn), which enables efficient BA conversion to H2 and valuable carbon–carbon (C–C) coupling compounds. Compared with previous strategies using VZn defects alone, our dual-defect strategy is more effective at separating photocarriers and thus can provide more usable photocarriers for BA conversion. With the optimized dual-defect content, Zn2In2S5 can deliver an apparent quantum yield (AQY) as high as 8.3% at 420 ± 20 nm for the generation of the C–C coupling compounds. DFT calculations reveal that the VZn/VIn dual defects can (1) endow the photogenerated electrons with high mobility and high reducing power, (2) enlarge the energetically downhill step for the formation of ketyl radicals, and (3) lower the energy barriers for the coupling of ketyl radicals. These findings not only expand the toolbox for the design and modification of semiconductor photocatalysts but also provide an in-depth understanding of the role of various defects in photocatalytic BA conversion.

Graphical abstract: Cooperative photocatalytic H2 liberation and benzyl alcohol C–C coupling reactions on Zn2In2S5 embracing Zn/In dual vacancies

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
28 Mar 2025
Accepted
30 May 2025
First published
31 May 2025

Inorg. Chem. Front., 2025, Advance Article

Cooperative photocatalytic H2 liberation and benzyl alcohol C–C coupling reactions on Zn2In2S5 embracing Zn/In dual vacancies

R. Wang, M. Ma, S. Qian, L. Shi and X. Xu, Inorg. Chem. Front., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5QI00867K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements