Synthesis of ZnIn2S4@Co3S4particles derived from ZIF-67 for photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract

In this work, ZIF-67 derivative Co3S4with diamond dodecahedron structure was firstly synthesizedviaa series of reactions, and ZnIn2S4@Co3S4heterostructures with adjustable band gaps were successfully obtained through a simple hydrothermal method. Consequently, ZnIn2S4@Co3S4heterostructures have significantly enhanced visible light absorption and improved photocatalytic efficiency, among which the ZC-5 composite exhibits the highest photocatalytic hydrogen production rate up to 4261 μmol g−1h−1under simulated sunlight, to be approximately 4.8 times higher than that of pure ZnIn2S4. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to faster electron transfer and more efficient electron-hole pairs separation derived from the heterostructures which form at the interface between Co3S4and ZnIn2S4. Thus, this study provides a good strategy for photocatalytic hydrogen production without precious metals using heterostructures.