Facile photodeposition Ni(OH) 2 anchored ZnIn 2 S 4 as an efficient 1D/2D heterojunctions for photocatalytic H 2 evolution

Abstract Increasing the active site of redox reactions on the surface of photocatalysts and accelerating the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron‐hole pairs are effective methods to improve the hydrogen evolution of composite photocatalysts. Non‐precious metal Ni photo‐deposition is anchored in situ on the ZnIn 2 S 4 surface to generate the cocatalyst Ni(OH) 2 , which improves the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of the composite sample. Under visible light irradiation, the ZnIn 2 S 4 semiconductor stimulates photon‐generated carriers. Ni 2+ acts as the defect center of photogenerated electron‐hole pairs to promote the separation of carriers. It serves as the capture site of light‐generated holes to reduce the carrier recombination rate so that the light‐generated electrons on the ZnIn 2 S 4 surface promote H + reduction in H 2 . Ni(OH) 2 provides the active site for oxidation reaction on the surface of semiconductor materials, allowing the carrier to be consumed faster and improving the photocatalytic stability of semiconductor materials. The addition of 2 wt% Ni 2+ resulted in a hydrogen evolution rate of 10 066 µmol·g −1 ·h −1 for ZnIn 2 S 4 /Ni(OH) 2 , which was 2.5 times higher than that of pure ZnIn 2 S 4 . This paper presents a reference case for enhancing the stability of sulfide to promote its photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.