Issue 6, 2024

Construction of a BiVO4/VS-MoS2 S-scheme heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

Abstract

Photocatalytic nitrogen (N2) reduction to ammonia (NH3), adopting H2O as the electron source, suffers from low efficiency owing to the sluggish kinetics of N2 reduction and the requirement of a substantial thermodynamic driving force. Herein, we present a straightforward approach for the construction of an S-scheme heterojunction of BiVO4/VS-MoS2 to successfully achieve photocatalytic N2 fixation, which is manufactured by coupling an N2-activation component (VS-MoS2 nanosheet) and water-oxidation module (BiVO4 nanocrystal) through electrostatic self-assembly. The VS-MoS2 nanosheet, enriched with sulfur vacancies, plays a pivotal role in facilitating N2 adsorption and activation. Additionally, the construction of the S-scheme heterojunction enhances the driving force for water oxidation and improves charge separation. Under simulated sunlight irradiation (100 mW cm−2), BiVO4/VS-MoS2 exhibits efficient photocatalytic N2 reduction activity with H2O as the proton source, yielding NH3 at a rate of 132.8 μmol g−1 h−1, nearly 7 times higher than that of pure VS-MoS2. This study serves as a noteworthy example of efficient N2 reduction to NH3 under mild conditions.

Graphical abstract: Construction of a BiVO4/VS-MoS2 S-scheme heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 dez 2023
Accepted
19 fev 2024
First published
20 fev 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2024,6, 1781-1789

Construction of a BiVO4/VS-MoS2 S-scheme heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

H. Luo, Z. Liu, M. Zhang, Y. Mu and M. Zhang, Nanoscale Adv., 2024, 6, 1781 DOI: 10.1039/D3NA01091K

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