Z-scheme heterojunction in CdS-decorated 3D flower-like CdIn 2 S 4 nanospheres for enhancing visible light-driven CO 2 reduction
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Design of efficient Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts remains a pivotal challenge in photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) flower-like CdIn2S4 nanosphere photocatalyst decorated with CdS nanoparticles (CdS/CdIn2S4) was successfully synthesized via a one-pot solvothermal method. The unique hierarchical architecture exposes enhanced light-harvesting interfaces and abundant reactive sites, while coupling CdS with CdIn2S4 constructs a direct Z-scheme heterojunction at the interface that promotes photogenerated electron migration and charge separation efficiency. The optimized CdS/CdIn2S4-10 catalyst achieves exceptional visible-light-driven CO2 reduction performance with a CO production rate of 12.9 μmol g-1 h-1 and 100% selectivity, representing 8-fold and 5-fold enhancements over pristine CdS and CdIn2S4, respectively. In situ DRIFTS and DFT calculations elucidate the mechanism for photocatalytic CO2 reduction: the built-in electric field at the interface of the Z-scheme heterojunction drives directional electron transfer to enable spatial separation of high-redox-potential photogenerated charge carriers, with *COOH intermediate formation identified as the key step to realize the photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CO. This work provides fundamental insights for constructing high-efficiency Z-scheme photocatalytic systems.
Source: Nano Research
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,290
OpenAlex ID: W4416086142