High-efficiency hollow Zn0.98Cu0.02Se/ZnS/ZnTiO3 photocatalyst for hydrogen production application

Photocatalytic water splitting utilizes solar energy to produce hydrogen, which is considered as one of the most efficient approaches for solving the current global energy and environmental crises. In this work, hollow ZnTiO3 nanospheres were prepared by calcination method, then ZnS was loaded onto the surface of ZnTiO3. At last, Zn0.98Cu0.02Se nanocrystals with different concentrations were modified at the outermost layer. The optimal photocatalytic hydrogen evolution amount of Zn0.98Cu0.02Se/ZnS/ZnTiO3 reached to 36662.23 μmol·g−1 in 6 h. The construction of ternary photocatalyst effectively improved the utilization rate of light absorption, realized the rapid separation and transfer of electrons, significantly suppressed the recombination of charge carriers and was benificial for the enhancement of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance.