Unveiling Charge Transfer in a Ni-Doped ZnO/Zn <sub>0.25</sub> Cd <sub>0.75</sub> S Z-Scheme Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic H <sub>2</sub> Evolution
ZnO-based photocatalysts severely limit solar energy utilization efficiency due to their exclusive CO<sub>2</sub>absorption of ultraviolet light. In this study, Ni-ZnO/Zn<sub>0.25</sub>Cd<sub>0.75</sub>S Z-scheme heterojunctions were constructed to enhance photocatalytic performance. Results demonstrate that Ni<sup>2+</sup> doping not only broadens the light absorption range of ZnO but also introduces oxygen vacancies that effectively suppress carrier recombination. Meanwhile, heterojunction construction facilitates the uneven adherence of Zn<sub>0.25</sub>Cd<sub>0.75</sub>S particles to rod-shaped ZnO. A Z-type charge transfer mechanism has been constructed under the influence of the built-in potential at the interface. This mechanism maintains strong redox capacity and achieves efficient carrier separation, improving the hydrogen evolution activity of the composite photocatalyst. The hydrogen production rate reaches 16.5 mmol·g<sup>-1</sup>·h<sup>-1</sup>, which is 56 and 9.9 times that of Ni-ZnO and Zn<sub>0.25</sub>Cd<sub>0.75</sub>S, respectively.
Authors
- Yanli Zhuang
- W. J. Zhang
- L. M. Dong
- Dan Li
- Jikun Pan
- Zihuan Zhang
- Yancheng Hao
- Jian Li
- Honghui Liu
- Haobin Wang
Institutions
- Harbin University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Salt Lake Community College (US)
- Catalytic Materials (United States) (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Langmuir
- Published
- 2026-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c06214
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00