Efficient Z scheme-type II charge transfer on the interfaces of PAN/ZnO/CdIn2S4 for the enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen generation

The CdIn2S4/xZnO (CIS/xZnO) and CdIn2S4/12.3ZnO-PANx (CIS/12.3ZnO-PANx, PAN is polyacrylonitrile) photocatalysts were prepared and their activities in photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production were studied. Their physicochemical properties were determined by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV–vis and PEC. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under the irradiation with full spectrum light was carried out to evaluate its photocatalytic activity and stability. The catalyst CIS/12.3ZnO-PAN30 exhibits the H2 production rate of 4.31 mmol g−1 h−1, ∼61.5 and 5.8 times that of PAN (0.07 mmol g−1 h−1) and CIS/12.3ZnO (0.74 mmol g−1 h−1), respectively. EPR, VB-XPS, Mott-Schottky analysis illustrate that the Z scheme-type II photo carriers transfer path is formed on the interfaces of the PAN/ZnO/CIS in the CIS/12.3ZnO-PAN30 composite, which is more favorable to the spatial separation and migration of photogenerated carriers with the light irradiation, thus significantly increasing the activity of the photocatalytic production. This work supplies a feasible method for preparation of novel ternary organic-inorganic hybrid photocatalysts.