3D printed textured substrate with ZnIn2S4–Pt–Co thermoset coating for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Immobilized efficient catalysts on 3D substrate structures are practical and effective for improving photocatalytic hydrogen production, yet the deposition of photocatalysts on the 3D substrate remains the challenging. In this work, ZnIn2S4 microspheres were synthesized with Pt–Co as cocatalysts (named as ZIS-Pt-Co) and firmly loaded as the thermoset coatings onto the 3D printed textured substrate. Two morphologies of 3D printed textured substrate, upright pyramid and inverted pyramid structure, were prepared by DLP to improve the specific surface area for hydrogen evolution. Under the optimal ZIS-Pt-Co coatings mass of approximately 12.6 mg, the inverted pyramid structure was found to have a better hydrogen production yields (1555 μmol h−1 g−1). By adequately utilizing the synergistic effect of the catalysts and the 3D printed substrates for photocatalytic hydrogen production, the photocatalytic water splitting performance was improved without using sacrificial agents. Moreover, the substrates can be reused multiple times with new catalysts coating for the photocatalytic reaction. This will be beneficial for promoting the application and promotion of low-cost, large-area photocatalytic reactors.