Novel 0D/3D NiTiO3/ZnIn2S4 photocatalytic hydrogen production: heterojunction promotes photogenerated carrier interface separation

The fabrication of 0D/3D heterojunctions is an important way to enhance charge separation, which is critical for achieving efficient solar hydrogen production. In this study, 0D/3D heterojunctions were designed and prepared using zero-dimensional (0D) NiTiO 3 (NTO) nanoparticles and three-dimensional (3D) flower-shaped ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS). 0D NTO nanoparticles were anchored to 3D ZIS nanoflowers, which provided abundant active sites and shortened the charge migration distance. In addition, the introduction of NTO reduces the internal resistance associated with the transport of photogenerated carriers. The visible light photocatalytic HER rate of ZIS/NTO is 8726 μmol g −1 h −1 , which is 6.7 times higher than that of ZIS nanosheets. This is attributed to the formation of heterojunction structure, which induces fast electron-hole separation and modulates the band gap, thus broadening the photoresponsive range, and this work provides a new idea for the construction of ZIS-based photocatalytic systems. • ZIS/NTO improves electron-hole separation efficiency and spectral response range. • The photocatalytic H 2 production reached 8.72 mmol g − 1 h −1 , which is 6.7 times that of pure ZIS (1.31 mmol g −1 h −1 ). • A new heterojunction system has been designed. • Non-susceptible to photo-corrosion, stable performance in cyclic tests.