NiMoO4/ZnIn2S4 Nanocomposite Forming a Type II Heterojunction for the Photocatalytic Production of Hydrogen

The construction of heterojunctions is a critical approach for obtaining efficient photocatalysts. In this work, an efficient NiMoO 4 /ZnIn 2 S 4 heterojunctions photocatalyst was successfully synthesized and used for photocatalytic H 2 production with TEOA as scavenger. When the amount of NiMoO 4 was 5%, the NiMoO 4 /ZnIn 2 S 4 photocatalyst (5NMO/ZIS) exhibited the best performance in terms of photocatalytic H 2 production, with a H 2 production rate of 5.1 mmol g –1 h –1, which was 7.3 times greater than that of ZnIn 2 S 4 . The enhanced performance of 5NMO/ZIS in terms of photocatalytic H 2 production can be attributed to the formation of Mo–S bonds, an internal electric field, and type II heterojunctions at the interface between NiMoO 4 and ZnIn 2 S 4, which greatly increase charge carrier separation and transfer. Moreover, the introduction of NiMoO 4 enhances the absorption of light in the visible and infrared regions, which promotes the generation of more photogenerated carriers, thus further enhancing the photocatalytic H 2 production performance.