Surface Energy Mediated Sulfur Vacancy of ZnIn2S4 Atomic Layers for Photocatalytic H2O2 Production

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 33; no. 35
• Main Authors: Zhang, Kailian, Dan, Meng, Yang, Jingfei, Wu, Fengxiu, Wang, Leigang, Tang, Hua, Liu, Zhao‐Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 29.08.2023
• Subjects: atomic level; Carrier density; Carrier transport; Charge density; Chemical reduction; Current carriers; Design defects; H2O2 production; Hydrogen peroxide; Infrared reflection; Materials science; Oxygen reduction reactions; S vacancies; Surface energy; ZnIn2S4
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202302964

Constructing rich defect active site structure for material design is still a great challenge. Herein, a simple surface engineering strategy is demonstrated to construct one‐unit‐cell ZnIn2S4 atomic layers with the modulated surface energy of S vacancy. Rich surface energy can regulate and control the rich S vacancy, which ensures rich active sites, higher charge density and effective carrier transport. As a result, the ZnIn2S4 atomic layers with rich surface energy affords an obvious enhancement in H2O2 productive rate of 1592.04 µmol g−1 h−1, roughly 14.58 times superior to that with poor surface energy. Moreover, the in situ infrared diffuse reflection spectrum indicates that S vacancy as the oxygen reduction reaction active site is responsible for the critical intermediate *O2− and *OOH, corresponding to two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction. This study provides a valuable insight and guidance for constructing controllably defects to achieve highly efficient H2O2 production. The ZnIn2S4 atomic layer with rich defect active sits is designed and prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The relationship between surface energy and defects is investigated by density functional theory calculation and experiment, indicating that the controllable defects can be constructed by tuning surface energy. As the rich active site, S defect played a very important role in charge density and effective carrier transport during the photocatalytic H2O2 production.