Robust S-scheme ZnO-TiO2-Ag with efficient charge separations for highly active hydrogen evolution performance and photocatalytic mechanism insight

• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2023.119259
• Publication Date: 2023-05-12T15:34:33Z
• Authors: Irshad Ahmad; Shazia Shukrullah; Humaira Hussain; Muhammad Yasin Naz; Faisal Khalid Alsaif; Sager Alsulamy; Yasin Khan
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 540; 0210 nano-technology

The design and fabrication of photocatalysts for robust H2 evolution from photocatalytic water splitting has emerged as a hotspot in the domain of photocatalysis. Therefore, we have designed an S-scheme ZnO-TiO2-Ag (Zn-Ti-Ag) catalyst through the hydrothermal process to investigate photocatalytic H2 production under simulated sunlight exposure. The H2 production efficiency of Zn-Ti-Ag catalyst from water/formic acid solution is 60.4 mmolh−1g−1, which is exceptionally greater than that of pure ZnO (0.39 mmolh−1g−1) under identical experimental conditions. After five successive cycles, no obvious decline of photocatalytic activity over Zn-Ti-Ag verifies its outstanding stability for large-scale application. The exceptionally enhanced photocatalytic performance of Zn-Ti-Ag heterojunction can be attributed to efficient photocarriers separation and transport efficiency, improved light absorption resulting from the LSPR effect of Ag, and powerful redox potentials due to the construction of S-scheme. This research provides an efficient orientation to understand and design LSPR phenomenon-assisted oxides-based S-scheme heterojunctions for diverse photocatalytic applications.