Construction of ZnCdS@CAU-17 heterostructures containing intermediate mediator Bi2S3 as a highly efficient photocatalyst for nitrogen reduction reaction

The construction of heterojunctions between semiconductors and metal-organic frameworks is an effective strategy for improving photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity. In this paper, CAU-17 was added in the solution during the solvothermal synthesis process of ZnCdS and the byproduct of Bi2S3 was generated on the ZnCdS@CAU-17 heterostructures. The combination of the three catalysts produces more excellent nitrogen fixation performance. The photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the carrier of CAU-17 for adsorption and storage of N2 and the active site of ZnCdS. In addition, the intermediate mediator Bi2S3 accelerates the transport of photogenerated electrons to the ZnCdS more efficiently. The photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance of ZCS@CAU-100 was 46.96 μmol·g-1·h-1 under simulated sunlight in pure water without sacrificial reagents, which was about 6.8 and 6.2 times that of pure phase CAU-17 and ZnCdS respectively. In this work, the composite of Bi-based MOF and semiconductor prepared enhanced the activity of photocatalytic nitrogen fixation, and provided new insights for the synthesis of more efficient photocatalysts for photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reactions.