UV-VIS-NIR-induced extraordinary H2 evolution over W18O49/Cd0.5Zn0.5S: Surface plasmon effect coupled with S-scheme charge transfer

In this work, a novel plasmon-assisted UV-vis-NIR-driven W18O49/Cd0.5Zn0.5S heterostructure photocatalyst was obtained by a facile ultrasonic-assisted electrostatic self-assembly strategy. The hybrid exhibits extraordinary H2 evolution activity of 147.7 mmol·g–1·h–1 at room temperature due to the efficient charge separation and expanded light absorption. Our investigation shows that the unique Step-scheme (S-scheme) charge transfer and the ‘hot electron’ injection are both responsible for the extraordinary H2 evolution process, depending on the wavelength of the incident light. Moreover, by accelerating the surface reaction kinetics, the activity can be further elevated to 306.1 mmol·g–1·h–1, accompanied by a high apparent quantum yield of 45.3% at 365 ± 7.5 nm. This work provides us a potential strategy for the highly efficient conversion of the solar energy by elaborately combining a nonstoichiometric ratio plasmonic material with an appropriate active photocatalyst.