All-Solid-State Plasmon-Assisted Interfacial Engineered Ag-Seeded ZnO/ZnS Core–Shell Nanorods for Z-Scheme Photocatalysis

Abstract The persistent contamination of water resources by organic dyes and inorganic pollutants presents serious environmental and public health concerns. However, conventional photocatalysts are hindered by rapid charge recombination, limited redox capability, and inefficient interfacial charge transfer, while traditional heterojunctions struggle to simultaneously deliver strong oxidation and reduction potentials. Herein, a nature-inspired all-solid-state, plasmon-assisted interface-engineered Z-scheme photocatalyst comprising ZnO/ZnS core–shell nanorods (NRs) on an Ag seed layer is reported to address the limitations of conventional photocatalyst. The metallic Ag seed layer acts as a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) platform, facilitating electron injection into the ZnO NRs core and suppressing photogenerated charge recombination. A controlled ZnS shell thickness (∼20 nm, obtained by 1.5 h sulfidation) optimizes interfacial charge transfer, promotes selective recombination of low-energy carriers, and maximizes solid-state Z-scheme efficiency. Trapping experiments indicate that •O2– and •OH are the dominant reactive species, enabling efficient degradation of methylene blue and tetracycline and reduction of Cr (VI) under UV irradiation. This work provides a rational interfacial engineering strategy for developing high-performance all-solid-state Z-scheme photocatalysts for environmental remediation.