ZnIn2Se4 nanoparticles photocatalyst for efficient solar fuel production

Selecting a suitable photocatalyst to establish the Z-scheme heterojunction which is accompanied by effective photogenerated hole and electron separation, is one of the advantageous strategies for efficient photocatalytic solar energy conversion. Therefore, we prepared a ZnIn₂Se₄ nanoparticles photocatalyst to build a double Z-scheme heterojunction with mixed-phase TiO₂ nanofibers, boosting photocatalytic solar fuel preparation. The result of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the existence of interfacial chemical bonds and internal electric fields. The interfacial Ti-Se bond is regarded as a channel and the internal electric field serves as the driving force for electron transfer. And the composite photocatalyst exhibits a great hydrogen evolution rate of 0.11 mmol g^-1 h^-1. From a forward-working perspective, this work proposes a ZnIn₂Se₄ nanoparticles photocatalyst for efficient solar fuel conversion, promoting the application of bimetallic selenide photocatalyst in the field of photocatalysis.