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Research Article

Rationally construction of atomic-precise interfacial charge transfer channel and strong build-in electric field in nanocluster-based Z-scheme heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

Qingtao Zhu§Honglei Shen§Chao HanLiu HuangYanting ZhouYuanxin Du( )Xi Kang( )Manzhou Zhu( )
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry of Anhui Province, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China

§ Qingtao Zhu and Honglei Shen contributed equally to this work.

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Graphical Abstract

A Z-scheme nanocluster (NC)-based heterojunction with strong internal electric field is constructed via interfacial Co–S bond, which exhibits superiority in photocatalytic performance. The enhanced catalytic performance is contributed by the “core–shell” dual modulation of NC. The center Pt single atom doping regulates the band alignments of NC and CoP, builds internal electric field as charge transfer driving force, and the accurate surface S modification promotes the formation of Co–S atomic-precise interface channel for further high-efficient Z-scheme charge transfer.

Abstract

The lack of effective charge transfer driving force and channel limits the electron directional migration in nanoclusters (NC)-based heterostructures, resulting in poor photocatalytic performance. Herein, a Z-scheme NC-based heterojunction (Pt1Ag28-BTT/CoP, BTT = 1,3,5-benzenetrithiol) with strong internal electric field is constructed via interfacial Co–S bond, which exhibits an absolutely superiority in photocatalytic performance with 24.89 mmol·h−1·g−1 H2 production rate, 25.77% apparent quantum yield at 420 nm, and ~ 100% activity retention in stability, compared with Pt1Ag28-BDT/CoP (BDT = 1,3-benzenedithiol), Ag29-BDT/CoP, and CoP. The enhanced catalytic performance is contributed by the dual modulation strategy of inner core and outer shell of NC, wherein, the center Pt single atom doping regulates the band structure of NC to match well with CoP, builds internal electric field, and then drives photogenerated electrons steering; the accurate surface S modification promotes the formation of Co–S atomic-precise interface channel for further high-efficient Z-scheme charge directional migration. This work opens a new avenue for designing NC-based heterojunction with matchable band structure and valid interfacial charge transfer.

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Nano Research
Pages 5002-5010
Cite this article:
Zhu Q, Shen H, Han C, et al. Rationally construction of atomic-precise interfacial charge transfer channel and strong build-in electric field in nanocluster-based Z-scheme heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production. Nano Research, 2024, 17(6): 5002-5010. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-024-6511-y
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Received: 07 November 2023
Revised: 24 January 2024
Accepted: 25 January 2024
Published: 29 February 2024
© Tsinghua University Press 2024
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