CdIn2S4 microspheres embedded with mesoporous Zn-doped g-C3N4 ultrathin nanosheets for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Herein, mesoporous Zn-doped g-C₃N₄ wrapped CdIn₂S₄ microsphere nanostructures were fabricated using a simple hydrothermal route. It is found that the CdIn₂S₄/Zn–g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite exhibits the most efficient photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution. The photocatalytic activity of the CdIn₂S₄/Zn–g-C₃N₄ composite presents the optimum performance for hydrogen evolution of 101.74 μmol h⁻¹, which is ∼10.8 and 7.3 times that of pure g-C₃N₄ and bare CdIn₂S₄, respectively. The results of varied characterization such as TEM and XPS demonstrate that a tight heterojunction has been successfully built in CdIn₂S₄/Zn–g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites, which is highly favorable to limit the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Furthermore, Zn could partially replace the C element in the g-C₃N₄ framework and enhance the separation of photo-induced electrons and holes. Moreover, the incorporation of Zn-doped g-C₃N₄ nanosheets with mesoporous features considerably improves the photo-stability of CdIn₂S₄ microspheres. We hope that these CdIn₂S₄/Zn–g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites with the tight heterojunction structure may provide new insight into designing novel photocatalysts with high efficiency and excellent stability.