Volume 32: A Sustainable, Clean and Carbon-free Energy Future

Construction of novel Z-scheme cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution Yueying Zheng, Fan Wang, Shu Liu, Renmao Ye, Qianyong Zhou, Chenxi Wang, Quhan Chen, Tao Wu

Abstract

Photocatalyst for water splitting is a promising method for producing clean hydrogen energy. The Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalysts have attracted considerable attention in recent years owing to the unique energy band structures and interfacial interactions. This work rationally constructed the cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity of the 25% cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction was boosted considerably, reaching a maximum of 6.9 mmol h-1 g-1, which is 1.8 times of the single ZnIn2S4. The increased separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers and visible light absorption are responsible for the high HER activity of the cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure. With the half-reactions using hole-sacrificing agents, this study constructed a reasonable Z-scheme heterostructure for efficient hydrogen evolution.

Keywords Cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin, ZnIn2S4, hydrogen generation, photocatalyst