Fabrication of UiO-66/Sulfur-Vacancy Zn3In2S6 with Significantly Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance for H2 and H2O2 Generation from Natural Water

Abstract Defect engineering is one of the most effective methods to accelerate charge transfer and thus to promote the evolution of H2 and the preparation of H2O2. Herein, a UiO-66/Zn3In2S6 heterojunction with surface sulfur vacancies was in situ synthesized by a facile chemical method. Benefiting from the abundance of structural defects, as well as the close-contact interface, the heterojunction exhibits superior visible-light photocatalytic properties for the preparation of H2 and H2O2. It was found that the rates of H2 evolution and H2O2 generation were 5.36 mmol g–1 h–1 and 134.68 μmol g–1 h–1, which are 2.8 and 2.06 times higher than those of pure Zn3In2S6. In addition, the UiO/(Vs)-ZIS heterostructure also exhibited superior H2 and H2O2 preparation performance in Yangtze River water and seawater, indicating that the UiO/(Vs)-ZIS composites had great potential for practical applications. The cyclic experiments and XRD patterns before and after recycling runs over the 5UiO/(Vs)-ZIS heterostructure confirmed its good sustainability and recyclability. Finally, the possible reaction mechanism was discussed in depth. This work presents a newfangled vision for designing promising Zn3In2S6-based heterojunction photocatalysts.